Ed Austin
BSc MSc MIEEM
Ed has been working as a professional ecologist since early 2004 with prior experience working in environmental consultancy specialising in river assessment. Ed has a particular interest in ornithological work and also maintains a specialism in river habitat assessment. He has experience of managing and undertaking a range of ecological projects ranging from smaller individual developments up to large-scale energy and infrastructure proposals. Since joining BSG Ed has been involved in a number of wind farm assessments.
Ed's survey experience includes numerous breeding and wintering bird assessments, large-scale extended Phase 1 habitat surveys, river habitat and river corridor surveys, fluvial audits and surveys for amphibians, reptiles, water voles, otters, bats and badgers. He holds Natural England licences for white-clawed crayfish, great crested newts and barn owls and has completed an examination in bird identification (IDQ) from the Natural History Museum in London. In his spare time Ed is a keen naturalist and photographer and has undertaken voluntary work for the British Trust for Ornithology.
Kerry Elliott
BSc MSc MIEEM
Kerry joined Baker Shepherd Gillespie in July 2009, having worked in ecological consultancy for the past three and a half years. Kerry has a wide range of field work experience, including surveys for Phase 1, hedgerows, river corridor, water vole, otter, harvest mouse, badger, brown hare, reptiles, great crested newt, bats and dormouse. Kerry has held a licence for great crested newts since 2006 and is a full member of the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management.
Kerry graduated in Zoology from the University of Cardiff in 2003, and gained an MSc in Wildlife Management and Conservation from the University of Reading in 2005. Since then, she has worked for BAA Heathrow, over-seeing the management and ecological survey work of the airport's 10 conservation sites, comprising mainly wetland habitats. Consultation and liaison with key stakeholders, including LPAs and neighbouring communities, was also a key component of this role, with the aim of promoting biodiversity and green space within Greater London. In March 2007, Kerry went on to work as an ecologist at a multidisciplinary consultancy where she developed her role as a field surveyor and project manager for large-scale development projects across the UK.
Anna Gundrey
BSc PGDip MIEEM
Anna has been with Baker Shepherd Gillespie since early 2007. She has worked in the field of ecology since 1996. Previous jobs have included working as a Conservation Officer for Natural England, carrying out vegetation monitoring for agri-environment schemes for ADAS, and organising the botanical fieldwork programme for the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research.
Anna has extensive experience of botanical and habitat surveying and monitoring, including Phase 1 habitat surveys, National Vegetation Classification, Common Standards Monitoring and fixed quadrant assessment. She also has experience in habitat management and planning, and is competent in a range of protected species surveys.
Matthew Hobbs
MSc Graduate member of IEEM
Matt has been working for Baker Shepherd Gillespie since April 2007. Matt concentrates on work involving birds and bats although he has carried out a wide range of ecological appraisals for BSG, which include Phase 1 habitat survey and a range of protected species surveys. Matt's job portfolio currently includes a number of wind farm sites and he specialises in Ecological Impact Assessment for wind farms, with a particular interest in the assessment of collision risk for both birds and bats.
Matt's experience prior to joining BSG involved a wide range of ecological skills although his main area of expertise was in cetaceans and seabirds. Matt has worked for the charity MarineLife in a voluntary capacity for 10 years and has published several papers as well as numerous articles concerning the marine wildlife of the Bay of Biscay and other areas. He has also supervised three MSc students from St Andrews and Bangor Universities who have tested novel modeling techniques on the MarineLife survey database. Matt has carried out voluntary survey work for the Wildlife Trusts in addition to working as a wildlife tour guide for a number of years, showing clients the wildlife of areas like the Picos de Europa, the Strait of Gibraltar and Baja California.
Owain Gabb
MSc BSc MIEEM
Owain is a specialist ornithologist and strong all round ecologist and project manager, with over 7 years of consultancy experience and over 11 years of professional experience in the environmental sector. Owain has project managed ecological inputs to development proposals throughout the UK, and has considerable experience working with onshore and offshore renewable energy, the nuclear sector and in construction. He also has a detailed understanding of species protection, Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA) and the Habitats Regulations, and regularly leads on large ecologically demanding projects.
Owain has a strong background in field ornithology, and has undertaken considerable field survey across much of the country including Shetland, throughout mainland Scotland, Northern and Southern England and Wales. Owain has worked on numerous development proposals where birds are a key issue with regard to consent, and as such is fully conversant with standard techniques for survey in all regularly recorded habitat types including semi-natural and plantation woodland, moorland, farmland and at sea. He has also devised bespoke survey methodologies for a range of bird species: including surveys to investigate ranging in bittern and marsh harrier and to provide detailed information on productivity in red-throated diver and a range of moorland raptors.
Owain is also regularly responsible for determining the scope, the design and implementation of appropriate protected species survey programmes on behalf of BSG. He is particularly proficient in Extended Phase 1 Survey, and has undertaken species specific surveys for a range of protected species, particularly otter and water vole and reviewed technical reports on many others. Owain has also project managed jobs that have required extensive badger bait marking surveys (to determine population size and territorial boundaries) and mitigation strategies, large scale reptile mitigation works (requiring the identification, acquisition and management of considerable areas of land) and detailed species specific invertebrate surveys.
Owain is a Fellow of The British Trust for Ornithology, and an active ringer. He has travelled widely to study bird ecology, and has experience of surveying throughout Europe, as well as in North Africa, the Middle East and Central America.
Kate Hunt
MSc BSc MIEEM
Kate joined Baker Shepherd Gillespie in March 2008, having worked in consultancy since 2006. Since joining BSG she has worked on a variety of protected species projects including bats, reptiles, great crested newt, otter, water vole, white-clawed crayfish and badger. Kate holds great crested newt survey licences for England and Wales and is a professional scuba diver.
Kate graduated in Marine Biology / Oceanography from the University of Wales at Bangor in 1998 and gained an MSc from the University of Warwick in 2001. Since then, she has worked in environmental education and in flood rescue alongside the Environment Agency and emergency services. She has been involved in voluntary work with the Countryside Council for Wales, the Gwent and Brecknock Wildlife Trusts and local conservation groups, which has included projects for wildlife site selection, dormouse, otter, water vole and white-clawed crayfish. Kate has also created maps on the GIS software packages ArcGIS and MapInfo.
Karen Lunan
BSc MSc MIEEM
Karen has developed a wide range of ecological survey experience through working for voluntary, public and private sector organisations. Karen has been working as an ecological consultant since 2004 and joined Baker Shepherd Gillespie in 2006. Prior to this Karen worked for a large engineering firm, providing ecological advice largely in relation to road schemes. Since joining BSG, Karen has undertaken numerous ecological appraisals for a wide range of sites including extended Phase 1 habitat surveys, hedgerow surveys and protected species surveys. Karen's experience with protected species includes bats, badgers, reptiles, water voles, dormice and great crested newts.
In addition to consultancy, Karen has a background in nature conservation. Since completing her MSc, she has volunteered for the Wildlife Trusts and has worked for the public sector managing nature reserves, which involved practical habitat management and biological monitoring of key species.
Karen continues to be involved with voluntary conservation work. She is a licensed bat worker and an active member of the North Bucks Bat Group and the Bat Conservation Trust through their National Bat Monitoring Programme. She is also a volunteer surveyor for the local Wildlife Trust, undertaking vegetation and butterfly assessments of their reserves.
Dave Parsons
BSc MSc MIEEM
Dave has been working as a professional ecologist since 2004, and has gained experience in both non-statutory conservation organisations and commercial consultancy. Dave has a wide range of experience, including undertaking surveys for Phase 1, hedgerows, badgers, water voles, otters, bats, dormice, harvest mice, breeding and wintering birds, reptiles and amphibians.
Dave is very active in the voluntary sector, being a founding member of the North Oxfordshire Mammal Group, in addition to undertaking surveys for the National Dormouse Monitoring Programme and the British Trust for Ornithology. Dave holds Natural England protected species licences for dormouse and great crested newt.
Alan Salkilld
BSc
Alan worked for Baker Shepherd Gillespie as an Assistant Ecologist before joining as a full-time Ecologist in October 2007. Since then, he has been involved in a wide range of protected species surveys including bats, badger, otter, reptiles and great crested newt as well as breeding bird and wintering bird vantage point surveys. Alan has a particular interest in bats and has carried out survey work on various wind farm and development sites across the north of England. Recent projects have focused on protected species survey, assessment and licensing, including numerous building surveys for bats and birds and specialist otter surveys for a development project.
Alan has worked on a number of technical reports as well as producing ornithology and ecology chapters for Environmental Statements.
Alan is a graduate member of IEEM and an active member of the Bat Conservation Trust, having taken part in the National Bat Monitoring Programme. He is currently studying part-time for an MSc in Biological Recording.
Corin Simmonds
BSc MSc MIEEM
Corin has been working as a Senior Ecologist for Baker Shepherd Gillespie since April 2007. Her previous role was with the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group in Oxfordshire where she managed a team of four Farm Conservation Advisers. During this time she undertook farmland biodiversity surveys and helped farmers develop habitat creation projects through the UK government's agri-environment schemes. She has a range of ecological and conservation experience including working as an environmental scientist for Thames Water and a botanical surveyor for the Centre for Agri-Environmental Research at Reading University.
Corin has also been involved with a number of conservation projects overseas, undertaking surveys of coral reefs in the Philippines and Australia. Her survey and report drafting work is wide ranging and she has worked on many contracts since joining the practice. She is competent in Phase 1 habitat survey techniques and Ecological Impact Assessment and has experience of undertaking surveys for badgers, water vole, arable flora and breeding birds.
Dave Stiles
BSc
Dave, who has a background in engineering, is an ecologist who has worked for Baker Shepherd Gillespie since January 2006. Since joining BSG Dave has carried out numerous ecological appraisals for a range of sites. His experience with protected species includes bats, water voles, crayfish and great crested newts. Dave holds a Natural England scientific survey licence for bats. He is an affiliate member of the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management.
Katy Stiles
BSc MIEEM
Katy is an ecologist with five years' professional experience and she has worked for Baker Shepherd Gillespie since 2001. Katy specialises in protected species, particularly bats, and habitat survey. She has carried out numerous ecological appraisals for a wide range of sites including botanical survey, extended Phase 1 habitat survey and river corridor survey. Katy's experience with protected species includes badgers, great crested newts and water voles. She has held a number of development licences for protected species and holds a great crested newt survey licence.
Katy holds a Natural England bat survey and roost visitor licence and is an Natural England Volunteer Bat Worker. She is also a member of the Bat Conservation Trust. Katy has a wide range of experience in relation to assessing structures for bats and has been involved in a number of projects requiring specialist mitigation to avoid impacts on roosting bats.
Dr Kate Vincent
BSc PhD MIEEM
Kate completed a PhD into the decline of the urban house sparrow in Britain (
more info) in 2005 and has worked for Baker Shepherd Gillespie since 2006. Her research background has given her a detailed understanding of urban ecology and its relationship with the wider countryside. Kate has also undertaken research on the impact of the Sullom Voe oil terminal in the Shetland Isles on local seabird populations which involved trapping and mist netting of seabirds to monitor population levels. Kate has held a bird ringing licence since 1996. Kate has also worked as a Wildlife Information Officer for the Wildlife Trusts providing detailed advice about wildlife to various groups, the media and the general public.
Since working with BSG, Kate has been involved in a number of projects, in particular ornithological surveys and assessment involving wind farm developments and bird strike assessments. Kate has a particular interest in integrating biodiversity within buildings and how to design new developments to improve their biodiversity interest.
She also has experience of working with other protected species including water voles, otters, great crested newts, badgers and bats as well as undertaking Phase 1 habitat surveys. Kate holds a Natural England scientific survey licence for great crested newts.
Natalie White
BSc MSc
Natalie began working as an ecologist at Baker Shepherd Gillespie in June 2007. She has since gained experience in a wide range of technical survey skills, as well as project and client management. Natalie is able to carry out protected species and habitat surveys including; Phase 1 habitat surveys, great crested newt, reptile, badger, water vole, and bat surveys. Natalie has a particular interest in amphibians and reptiles and holds a great crested newt licence. She regularly undertakes habitat suitability assessments for great crested newts, subsequently providing advice to clients on potential ecological constraints. She also regularly operates as an ecological clerk of work in relation to great crested newts. Natalie has good experience of reptile translocation works and reptile handling. Natalie has a sound understanding of current wildlife legislation and planning policy guidance and prepares technical reports to provide advice on potential ecological issues with regards project proposals.
Prior to joining BSG, Natalie graduated in Zoology (University of Wales Swansea 2004) and Wildlife Management and Conservation (Reading University 2005). Research for her MSc thesis involved species identification of aquatic invertebrates from Woodwalton Fen NNR. Natalie has volunteered for her local Wildlife Trust, gaining experience in practical habitat management, livestock management and participating in National Vegetation Classification Surveys. Between her MSc and working at BSG Natalie undertook six months of travelling through Central America. During this time, she volunteered for Project Golden Frog in Panama, an initiative set up in response to the spread of the amphibious disease
Chytridiomycosis.
Mark Woods
BSc MIEEM
Mark has over eighteen years' experience of countryside management, nature conservation and ecology in both the education and conservation sectors. Within the education sector, Mark has extensive experience of teaching ecology, habitat management, wildlife surveying and other related disciplines across a wide spectrum of adult learners. Mark is also a member of the IEEM Training, Education and Career Development Committee (TECDC), with a particular interest in the training and education of biological field skills.
In addition to teaching he has carried out a wide range of ecological contract work including wildlife surveying and monitoring, ecological assessment, management planning, habitat management and creation. Research interests include great crested newt population studies, restoration of semi-natural grasslands for nature conservation and management of upland heaths at the catchment scale to improve quality of potable water supplies.
Mark has been an active member of the Botanical Society of the British Isles since 1997 and has contributed plant records for incorporation in the Atlas of the British Flora and other recording schemes.