Overview
We provide ecological support to commercial energy projects of all scales. Our projects include onshore wind farms of up to 70 turbines, numerous large and small-scale solar sites, energy from waste plants, new gas and nuclear plants. We also work on ‘life extension’ applications, repowering and decommissioning schemes and their associated grid connections.
Field Survey
We have a large team of ecologists, many of whom have significant experience of ecological assessment of energy sector developments, and who are supplemented by a network of regionally based specialist sub-contractors.
Our team has relevant expertise in the following technical areas for energy projects:
- Birds: Vantage-point (VP) survey to inform collision risk analysis at proposed wind farms; breeding wader, grouse and raptor survey; breeding bird survey; wintering waterfowl survey; landscape-scale distribution mapping of flock-forming species such as geese and plovers; mapping of bird distribution in intertidal and inshore marine habitats; radio-tracking of nightjar; and, thermal imaging survey to determine nocturnal bird distribution.
- Bats: Transect and static surveys; roost assessments; ‘at height’ surveys; internal inspections of buildings and aerial inspections of trees; radio tracking of high sensitivity species; fatality searches beneath turbines using search dogs.
- Vegetation mapping: Phase 1 survey to identify habitat types; National Vegetation Classification (NVC) (where applicable) to attribute these to specific community types. Application of SEPA’s SNIFFER guidance for evaluation of wetland habitats and identification of potential ground water dependent terrestrial ecosystems (GWDTEs);
- Protected species: surveys of water courses for species including otter, water vole and freshwater macroinvertebrates; and, survey for badger, hazel dormouse, great crested newt (including eDNA), red squirrel, badger and various other terrestrial mammals in appropriate habitat.