The Team

 

We are passionate about the natural environment and take our duty of care as environment professionals very seriously. Therefore our ecological work adheres to the IEEM code of Professional Conduct.

Our small team of ecologists is made up of dedicated enthusiasts who are prepared to go that extra mile to ensure the quality of work and advice we produce is of the highest standard. 

Personnel Profiles

Robert Yaxley

Robert Yaxley BSc MIEEM CEnv 

Director and Principal Ecologist

Rob is the Director and principal ornithologist of WFE, is a full member of the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management, and a Chartered Environmentalist.  Rob has been an independent consultant ecologist since 1998. His background in nature conservation has given him a sound understanding of issues around UK habitats, species and designated sites.

While foremost an ornithologist, he is also a qualified botanist and has considerable experience in surveying for other protected species. He is skilled in survey design and has applied bespoke survey techniques for golden plover, a grazing audit and nocturnal bird surveys.

Rob has accumulated specialist expertise in the wind farm ecology niche, and can consequently claim participation in a long list of onshore wind farm planning applications (100+ total, 25+ advanced to planning). Rob has considerable experience negotiating wind farm issues with consultees. He has performed expert witness duties at three Public Inquiries.

Seth Lambiase

Seth Lambiase BSc MRes MSc MIEEM

Senior Ecologist

Seth has been a consultant ecologist with WFE since 2007. Prior to joining WFE, Seth was a wildlife inventory biologist for the North Carolina State Department of Environment and Natural Resources, USA.

He has over nine years of professional zoological survey experience covering a broad range of taxa including small mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates. He has particular expertise in Ecological Impact Assessment and field surveys for bats, and has carried out bat surveys in a wide range of habitats at sites in the UK and USA.

Seth is a Natural England licensed bat surveyor with extensive experience conducting bat roost (buildings and trees) and field activity surveys.

 

Kelly Moyes

Kelly Moyes BSc PhD MIEEM

Senior Ecologist

Prior to joining WFE in 2009, Kelly worked as a post-doctoral research associate at the University of Cambridge studying red deer ecology on the Isle of Rum, after completing a PhD on the same population at Imperial College and the University of Kent. As a result of this research, she has published papers in international ecological journals.

Kelly has a range of field experience, including living and working on the Isle of Rum and St Kilda and also studying meerkats in the Kalahari Desert. She has also worked on natural history documentaries, as a field assistant and story developer on the BBC productions Autumnwatch and Springwatch.

Kelly is a Natural England licensed bat surveyor and is skilled in conducting bat roost, emergence and activity surveys.  She is also an experienced surveyor of other protected species, including water voles, otters, badgers, reptiles, great crested newts and dormice and has worked on mitigation schemes for water voles and reptiles.  She is also a JNCC accredited Marine Mammal Observer (MMO).  Kelly excels at report writing, in particular Ecological Impact Assessment and Appropriate Assessment, and has particular expertise in research and project and data management.

 

Graham Riley BSc AIEEM

Graham Riley

Graham Riley BSc AIEEM

Ecologist

Graham has been working as a consultant ecologist with WFE since 2008. With a background in ornithology, he previously spent 14 years working on the RSPB stone curlew recovery project, and 2 years as a self employed ornithologist.

Graham has acquired a huge amount of experience working on proposed windfarm sites, having participated in surveys on c.40 sites in recent years. His field skills are second to none.

As well as having ornithological expertise he has gained experience in surveying for protected species such as bats, water voles, great crested newts and reptiles, and is experienced in Phase 1 habitat surveys. Graham is also immensely knowledgeable in the field of South-east Asian birds.

John Harris

John Harris BSc MIEEM

Ecologist
John joined WFE in 2007 from Elsevier where he was an editor of ecological materials for Geobase. John is a herpetology specialist, with a licence for great crested newt surveys and extensive experience in reptile survey and mitigation. He is accomplished in field surveys for other protected species including badgers, bats and water voles.

With a strong background in IT, John contributes skills in data management and presentation, and has played a major role in applying  avian collision risk models.

 

William Riddett

William Riddett BA

Ecologist
Will is WFE’s Code for Sustainable Homes and BREEAM specialist. He has worked on over forty such projects since joining WFE in 2008, mostly centred in Norfolk but recently expanding across the east of England and London. Through close consultation with developers and architects he has successfully designed ecological enhancement packages or Landscape and Habitat Management Plans for the Ecology section of these assessments. This has ranged from recommending garden planting options for housing developments, to designing green and brown roofs for high-rise office buildings.

Will is also proficient in protected species surveys, including for great crested newts for which he holds a licence. He is experienced in ecological site appraisals, feasibility studies (particularly for single wind turbine proposals), Appropriate Assessments and applying the avian Collision Risk Model. He has been involved with mitigation projects for badgers, great crested newts and reptiles, and has organised bird collision studies at a meteorological mast and wind farms.

Susannah Dickinson

Susannah Dickinson BSc AIEEM

Assistant Ecologist
Susie joined WFE in 2009. She graduated from the University of East Anglia in 2008 with first class honours in Ecology. Susie is a great crested newt licence holder. She has developed botanical expertise and also undertakes avian vantage point surveys.

Prior to working for WFE, Susie spent several seasons working as an Aviculturalist for the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, Slimbridge. She was  involved in the early stages of the Great Crane Project, rearing the young birds and also working with BBC’s Springwatch and the RSPB film unit.

Susie is proficient in habitat and protected species surveys, mapping, data handling and report writing.