ESL - Ecological Services

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• Services
  • Ecological Site Assessment
    • Desk Studies
    • Walk-over surveys
    • Report
  • Ecological Impact Assessment
  • Specialist Surveys
    • Breeding Bird Surveys
    • Invertebrate Surveys
    • Arboricultural Surveys
    • Wintering Bird Surveys
    • Botanical Surveys

  • Protected Species
    • Great Crested Newts
    • Reptiles
    • Bats
    • Water Vole
    • Dormouse
    • Badger
    • Otter
    • White-clawed crayfish
    • Barn Owl
  • Habitat Design and Creation
    • Bat and bird boxes
    • Ponds and Watercourses
    • Trees and woodland management
• Staff Profiles
  • Anne Goodall
  • Dave Hughes
  • Brian Hedley
  • Vanessa Tindale
  • Andrew Malkinson
  • Jackie Nicholson
  • John Pover
  • The Field Team
• Case Studies
  • Cambourne New Town Development
• Research
  • Monitoring the effect of development on badger social groups
  • The Lincolnshire Limewoods Dormouse Project
• Contact

Breeding Bird Surveys

Our services

• Transect, point count and territory mapping (eg Common Bird Census - CBC) surveys to determine the general breeding bird population and provide an estimate of numbers;
• Specialist surveys for groups such as wildfowl, raptors, waders, nocturnal/crepuscular species (eg owls, woodcock, nightjar) and colonial species (eg seabirds, heron, terns, hirundines);
• Nesting bird checks in advance of site clearance or demolition of buildings;
• Habitat design and production of management plans for breeding bird habitat;
• Provision and erection of bird nestboxes, including advice on siting;
• Provision, erection and maintenance of barn owl boxes and checking for use by barn owls, under licence; and
• Advice on protection of nesting Schedule 1 breeding species.

ESL have personnel licensed to handle and ring birds, including barn owls.

Timing of surveys

In general terms the breeding season is taken to extend from the beginning of March to at least the end of July, although this will vary across the country (nesting starts earlier in the south) and with the weather (nesting starts earlier in warm, dry springs). However, the actual nesting season for individual species will also depend on their ecology: eg, residents tend to begin nesting earlier than migrants and insect-eaters earlier than seed-eaters, and the season will be longer for birds which attempt to raise two or more broods than for those which are single-brooded. For particular species surveys should therefore be focused on their main season, but to determine the whole range of species surveys must be spread throughout the full season.

For a few species breeding occurs outside this general season; for example crossbills feed their young on the seeds of conifers, which tend to ripen in mid-late winter, and these young are therefore hatched in winter. There is also a small group of species, including barn owls, which are able to breed throughout the year, and active nests of these species can be found in most months. We can provide advice both on survey timing for all species, and on the need for nesting bird checks in any month, depending on the habitats available.

Click here for information on why a survey is required.

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Think we can help you? Contact us to find out,
on 01522 539325 or (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)