Stewart Johnson

Looking for freelance UA5 or ecological work in the North Wales area, should any be going!

What tickets do you require for the work? And what are the rates....

The CIEEM (which is the trade body for ecologists) has given recent advice on netting. Basically, avoid using if possible. Only use if planning permission has been given. If the site isn't being regularly checked by an ecologist (at least three times a day) heaven help you if a bird (or anything else) dies in the nets. As for the bird nests, I think so long as you make a proper visual inspection first you're covered. However, ignorance of nests is not a defence under the law, so always check. Destroying a nest is illegal. Causing sufficient disturbance that a nest is abandoned is illegal. For schedule 1 birds, disturbing them at all - whether the nest is abandoned or not, is illegal. And note that includes Kingfishers, if working near a river. Also today Natural England has abandoned the use of General licences which used to be handy to print off to cover yourselves for woodpigeons and crows. Now for any nest you need to get a specific licence from Natural England or risk prosecution. I don't know how this affects Scotland or Wales.

Ecologist here albeit not a licenced bat worker so take this under caution. A bat roost is protected whether bats are there or not - you can't damage one when they're out feeding for example - but historical use doesn't count. But if they've been there historically then they'll probably be there now. Get a licenced bat worker to have a look and give advice. Yes it will cost but bear in mind that to get a bat licence takes a long time and can cist a bloody fortune. Also there is of course the charming risk of rabies...and obviously unsocial hours work. I think £300 a day is average. But do not leave it to the last minute. For a start bat workers are often very busy and more than one night might be required.

And now I'm not on a phone with the blue filter on..... yes those look like pigeon eggs. Little sods nest all year round given half a chance.

Wow, that is late.... but yes, I'd guess the weather means birds which don't migrate are trying to get another brood in... doubt it'll work though.

For SNHGeneral licence GL03/2018 allows the destruction of nests of a number of common species for public health, public safety or the spread of disease. But you may have to explain why other methods which ar enon lethal can't be used. Aviation safety is the next one down the list GL04/2018

And note this is because an Osprey is a Schedule 1 bird, and so disturbing it at all is an offence. If you cause a couple of blackbirds alarm, there's no problem so long as you immediately leave them to it.

Worth finding out what the bird nest in question is. So long as the bird isn't a Schedule 1 species, you're fine so long as your work doesn't cause the nest to be damaged or abandoned. Note there are some species of birds - crows, magpies and pigeons mostly - whose nests can be destroyed if there is a health and safety issue. You can download the required licence from the webpages of English Nature or Natural Resources Wales. Not sure about SNH given the report above, but it wouldn't be the first time someone working with the government agencies didn't know the law....

Ravens are even worse.... but the point is in a natural environment there are as many predators as there is food to feed them. Yes, some nests get destroyed but enough survive. Cats can occur in such overwhelming numbers that nothing gets overlooked. As for cost benefit analysis... as someone who has dealings with our local red squirrel group I can say that eliminating greys takes a huge amount of effort and time. It can be done, but it took around 15 years to clear Anglesey, and then monitoring still needs to be done. What more contractors should do is get an ecologist in early so the work can be planned. Plenty of builders still seem to be amazed spring happens in mid-March and I always wonder why anything a bird can nest in hasn't been cleared beforehand. This is not rocket science. If it were, I wouldn't be able to do it... Just about everything can be worked around given sufficient time, planning and common sense. But I suspect we all know clients tend not to grant us the first two, nor are they well provided with the third...

Certainly they can be destructive but there is a specific issue with cats. Cats per se aren't an issue - the U.K. should have a native wild cat after all but it's been exterminated from all but the Highlands and a domestic cat fulfills the same function in the environment. But the issue is with numbers. The number of crows about is determined by the amount of food available for them. This isn't true of cats because they are fed by their owners. So the average suburban street has vastly more predators than would occur naturally, and that unnatural situation can be appalling for wildlife.

Don't get me started on cats.... but then the average moggy isn't destroying entire clutches which is what will happen if your trash a nest. There is a reason why each blue tit pair produce around a dozen chicks a year...

It is a tricky one because all breeding birds are protected, and it's down to interpretation. That means if you disturb them in a manner sufficient to prevent them breeding - i.e. they abandon their nests, you are committing an offence. This being because in causing abandonment, you have effectively damaged the nest/ killed the eggs etc. Schedule 1 birds are rarer, and the definition of disturbance broader. I think the difference is if you disturb a blackbird, say, and nothing untoward happens, you're safe from prosecution because it's the result that matters. Even causing a Kingfisher or Barn Owl a moment's nervousness will get you prosecuted. 'Pest' species also enjoy this protection - and that's important to remember because many people think they don't. However, as I said, you can get a print-off licence off the internet to cover you for this so long as the landowner and you agree there is a health & safety implication. Should there be a H&S implication and you're dealing with something else, give the authorities a quick ring and they'll advise you. That's probably as clear as mud, but if you're working near Schedule 1 birds I'd get some serious professional advice.

And, just to really confuse matters, some species of bird build several nests and only use the one - I think robins are a complete sod for doing that. Nests often don't last the winter - especially out here in West Wales... but the thing to do is check them. If by simply going near it you hear a bird alarm call - that's one sign. Look into it, if there's no down or eggs and it's empty, then I doubt any court in the land would bother you. Worth taking a quick photo though if in nesting season just in case anyone asks. And in spring, withdraw a reasonable distance and spend a quarter hour or so seeing if it's being used. Be aware you may still find active nests right into August - it's unusual but not unheard of. Sparrowhawks for example can nest later because they need their chicks to hatch more or else when everything else is fledging.

Since I'm here.... It's reasonably well known that a cull on Anglesey has been successful in eliminating grey squirrels and there's now only reds on the island. I thought I'd mention that the reds have now started to colonise the North Wales coastal region as well.... so it you're working anywhere in north-West Wales it's worthwhile being careful with dreys because reds and very heavily protected by law. There is no way to tell if a drey is sued by greys or reds except observation so far as I know. They've been seen as far east as Llandudno and as far south as Llanberis. Westwards, probably the far side of Caernarfon.