In work terms, the dewy early morning at the start of a Common Birds Census survey always provides a frisson of excitement, especially for some sites in East Anglia, where even the most average-looking piece of farmland could turn up the odd quail, marsh harrier or stone curlew. Indeed, over the years, surveys have turned up the odd genuine rarity such as crane, red-backed shrike, Savi’s warbler, purple heron, and lesser grey shrike (not all original finds, for the bird historians out there).

Bird surveys can provide genuine ecological surprises too – birds nesting out of their known range, surprising densities, or (more commonly) surprising absences. They also give a snapshot of what is really going on with the general bird zeitgeist – for examples, ever increasing numbers of buzzards, little egrets and peregrines in the East of England, and ever dwindling numbers of willow warblers, cuckoos and grey partridges in the wider countryside.

It has also provided me with intimate knowledge of a few species – the difficulties faced by pairs of yellowhammers in a modern farming environment where the machine is king, and the bizarre behaviour of the huge flocks of golden plovers that overwinter in East Anglia, particularly on the huge prairie fields of Norfolk and Cambridgeshire. My colleague Graham spent many years getting to know all of Norfolk and Suffolk Breckland’s stone curlews on first name terms, and sure knows a thing or two about their weird ways.

Wild Frontier has evolved a pragmatic but thorough approach to ornithological and bird assessments partly through the experience our bird team has accrued, particularly in lowland situations, but also through our understanding of the impacts of development on birds. Our pool of expert surveyors, some of them big league birders, is not just a tool for getting the best quality surveys, it is also an unbeatable resource of shared practical experience and knowledge.

Rob

White-clawed Crayfish, Rare Blue Varient

The White-clawed Crayfish, Austropotamobius pallipes, is the only native crayfish species in the UK and unfortunately it is very much under threat from invasive species, disease and changes to water quality. Is it too late for them? 

The answer is NO.

Although a slightly different approach to the conservation of White-clawed Crayfish must be taken than to other species. The normal approach to conserving a species is through connectivity of populations but with White-clawed Crayfish a new approach of creating Ark sites or unconnected populations look to be the most likely way prevent the extinction of the species. As with all conservation projects education has a  key role so the people understand the plight of the species.

White-clawed Crayfish are under threat in the UK due to a mixed of ignorance, poor policy and malicious intent. These factors have caused the introduction and spread of Signal Crayfish along with other potential more invasive species of Crayfish, such as Red Swamp or Virile Crayfish.

Signal Crayfish were introduced to the UK in the 1970 in aquaculture trials although they were known from their introduction in Sweden to be highly invasive and to carry Crayfish Plague. The trade in crayfish in the UK never really took off, but the animals remained. If left to their own devices the spread of Signal Crayfish across the UK would take centuries as they move relatively slowly through the river system. This, however, is not the case as the animals are still being illegally introduced to new areas. This is known to have happen through naivety but also through malicious intent. To release or allow the escape into the wild of these or any non-native species of Crayfish is illegal under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. An excellent 5 day course I recently attended highlighted these issues as well as giving me an excellent grounding in crayfish surveys.

In recent years the spread of Signal Crayfish has been worsened by celebrity chefs promoting Signal Crayfish as a food source. Personally I would not eat signal crayfish primarily for the reason that they are a lot of faffing around for very little in return, as you can only eat the tail and the claws on some larger males; –  also if you catch ones are too small to eat you can’t throw them back but have to kill them too. You also need a licence to fish for the animals. Another reason is if your crayfish trap is not set up correctly you may trap water voles and otters. Then I would seriously consider whether they are safe to eat. Although our rivers are cleaner than they once were very little work has been done on the bioaccumulation of heavy metals in Signal Crayfish but in Europe other species studies have shown that the Noble Crayfish does accumulate a considerable amount of heavy metals in organs and tissues.
 
Signal Crayfish also carry Crayfish Plague, which is… which has decimated the White-clawed Crayfish as they are believed to be 100% susceptible to it and when it reaches a White-clawed Crayfish population it will kill all the crayfish in that stretch of the river.
 
Alarming recent work on Signal Crayfish is starting to show that the presence of Signal Crayfish is not only impacting on White-clawed Crayfish, or having an economic effect on restoring waterways with Signal Crayfish but also that they pose a threat to game fisheries. It is being found that the spawning success of Salmonids is reduced in headwaters where Signal Crayfish have been introduced .
 
It is not all doom and gloom – we can do something! Help to get the sale of crayfish banned in the UK, this is a start. If you are an angler ensure your equipment such as nets and boots are clean, dried in the sun and even disinfected to prevent the accidental spread of Crayfish or Crayfish Plague. If we don’t actively spread Crayfish Plague or the Non-native species this should allow us the time needed to find a solution to the problems they cause and prevent the extinction of a species.

John

Life on the islands was simple, with two way radios our only regular form of communication. All our ornithological note-taking was done by gaslight, mainly in notebooks with paper and pencil. No-one had the money to buy decent photographic equipment. Communicating with friends and family was possible by letter or occasional phone call. The toilet flushing water had to be hand pumped from the North Sea. Need I say more?

When I visited the Islands last year, Dave Steele the head warden explained how the wardens’ lives had been revolutionised by mobile phones, blogging, solar panels, motorised winches and the bird recording by the use of digiscoping. The wardens looked like healthy, balanced individuals as opposed to the crazed bunch of half-starved zombies that emerged from the islands in December 1991. There was no doubt that in the intervening 18 years what is at times a very challenging job had become significantly easier, more effective and more fun for those lucky enough to work there.  If you visit their excellent blog http://farnephoto.blogspot.com

you can readily see the results of the tech advances. I didn’t ask about the toilets.

In more mundane localities, ecologists have also taken full advantage of the available technology to make their work more effective, accurate and accessible. Our reports are now full of accurate site plans, using GPS, lavishly illustrated, superbly designed, and take far less time to produce than even ten years ago. Surveys are supported by superb pieces of kit like bat detectors coupled to recordable mp3 devices, crystal clear optics, mobile phone cameras, sophisticated weather recording devices, endoscopes, night vision equipment – the list goes on. Use of digital aerial imagery has also greatly assisted in accuracy of site mapping.  Ecologists are, as a result, able to achieve a great deal in much less time, and to a much higher standard.

Technology has driven up the standards of ecological work as new kit has become readily available. I have frequently seen tenders and work specifications which request data or survey techniques which require a technological solution – be it recordings of bat calls, sophisticated mapping imagery or use of complex databases. Digital photos allow evidence to be scrutinised thoroughly, and accurate mapping has changed vegetation survey from an art to a science.

So, looking forwards, how can technology improve yet further the quality of ecological work, and what would be on my own wish list for ace gadgets? Well, this is not an exhaustive list, but here goes:

1. More practical and sophisticated equipment for static bat detection and recording, perhaps with predictive software for bat identification.
2. The further integration of high quality optics with digital camera technology at an affordable price.
3. An all-in-one field device for ecologists – a weatherproof gadget that takes photos with GPS location, and allows mapping directly in the field, as well as the collection of audio and visual evidence.
4. Satellite imagery that’s completely up to date (like – yesterday).
5. Teleport (no more Travelodge!).
6. X ray vision (this would also be fun for a number of reasons).
7. Bionics.

The last three are optional, but just think…

Rob

In short, a good ecologist needs to be a jack-of-all-trades. Aside from the basics – high levels of literacy and numeracy, commitment and passion, all sorts of bizarre secondary skills can be required to see through a job from start to finish: metalworker, hydrological engineer, graphic designer, motor mechanic, statistician, caterer, accountant, negotiator, labourer, animal handler, geographer, legal adviser and explorer – all fall under the ecologist’s umbrella. The old stereotype of a dry, strictly scientific existence are belied by the reality of the world of work.

That is not to say that many of the places one finds oneself in are anything too glamorous – the distinctly spooky burnt out cellars of an old maltings, the most degraded arable wastes, open miles of beach shingle, semi-detached lofts, polluted balancing ponds and supermarket car parks – all are worktime hangouts for the jobbing ecologist.

The sheer variety of challenges that are encountered are certainly a major attraction of the job. I have experienced months where I have been involved in all of the following one after the other: vegetation surveys on exposed tops of the Yorkshire Dales, writing detailed reports on bird populations in lowland farmland, catching reptiles in Kent, locating and labelling veteran trees in Norfolk and doing topographic surveys in the Broads. And that is on top of juggling several subconsultants, trying to keep the money coming in and the ageing vehicle running. And it’s not just me – virtually every ecologist I know is presented with a similar array of challenges.

Excelling at multi-tasking and conceptual ball juggling are not the only demands – a keen observational faculty, attention to detail, a steady hand, consistency, clear thinking and physical stamina all play their part. It’s not easy being green. The upside is a hugely rewarding and fulfilling job, and many of us I believe feel that we are “living the dream”.

For those people starting on a career in ecology, the advice is clear – you made the right choice, stick with it and don’t give up! Times are tough, and our profession as well as many others has been quite deeply affected, but we will always be needed, and I am very optimistic for the future. Go get em!

Rob

Great Crested Newts are fascinating creatures. Since joining Wild Frontier Ecology it has been my privilege to undertake many Great Crested Newt Surveys, looking for these beautiful amphibians. The female is the larger reaching up to 170mm, but it is the smaller male which is the real beauty with his jagged crest.  Both are dark from above, but sometimes as they flick away through the water you get a fleeting glimpse of their fiery orange or yellow belly. The dragon is alive and well and can be seen living in English ponds! To me part of the magic is that many people will have never seen one. Although Great Crested Newts are fairly widespread, and can be found in rural, suburban and urban areas, they often go unnoticed. They skulk away in quiet unmanaged places, or hide away in the depths of ponds.

Last summer WFE undertook extensive Great Crested Newt surveys, we surveyed 257 ponds right across Norfolk. All these ponds were within the buffer of a linear infrastructure development, and therefore required survey. Four survey visits to each pond are required to establish whether Great Crested Newt are present. Logistically it was a challenge to ensure all ponds were fully surveyed within the correct time period, but one that we were delighted to rise to.

Although we had calculated a Habitat Suitability Index for each of the waterbodies, newt occurrence cannot be predicted so simply. Whilst I might think an area truly lovely, newts can be nowhere to be found, yet an unpromising tiny garden pond suddenly yields a medium sized population. In this job you never know what you will find next. Last Spring I was to be found out and about in the farmyards, fields and gardens of Norfolk. Fortunately we were blessed with plenty of fine weather, so it was a joy to wander from pond to pond, clipboard and dip net in hand. Although it is of course, never that simple.

Great Crested Newt, Netted During Presence Absence Surveys

Not all ponds are easily accessible. On private land, away from the footpaths the terrain is not always straight forward, dense woodland always makes finding even a large pond difficult and a small one far more of a challenge! The modern technology of GPS fails as soon as trees obscure the sky. It’s up to me, and me alone to navigate the dense bramble and work out where the pond is and where I’ve ended up.  Even ponds in the middle of arable fields come with their own unique set of challenges. You might be able to stroll up to within 2 or 3 meters of the water, then dense hawthorn, barbed wire, or even just an entanglement of fallen willow make getting oneself and the awkward dip net to the water’s edge nearly impossible! I might not be the fittest, strongest or most knowledgeable member of the WFE team, but as the smallest I am at least well placed to wriggle through the smallest of gaps! Trousers, shirts and wellies, are inevitably by the end of the season all full of snags and holes.

Then of course there is the local livestock; cows, horses, sheep, pigs. Their ponds are often easy to access as they have been in first. Unfortunately, they all seem to delight on sneaking up on you whilst your attention is focused into the ponds murky water. As soon as a land owner tells me there are ‘friendly’ animals in a field I am at once on my guard, for these are precisely the inquisitive animals like nothing better than to come and investigate. And a ‘friendly’ herd of bullocks all vying to examine me and my net is to say the least a little unnerving!

 In late spring and early summer as the sun went down, and most people returned home, I set out once again, with powerful torches in hand, to retrace my daytime steps. Torch surveys by night allow a fascinating view of pond life. Gone are the daytime reflections allowing a view into a newt’s world. Steadily the water is scanned with the powerful torch beam and sightings are methodically noted down.  Sometimes nothing can be seen in the murky depths; sometimes the merest flick of a tail gives the newts away as they head for cover. On some days however, we’re rewarded with the wonder of a clear view as, seemingly untroubled, they proceed about their business!

By night the Norfolk countryside is a whole different world; the wildlife is out and about. Badger, fox, hedgehog and deer have all come upon me in the darkness only to panic in my torch’s fierce glow. For the local people our nocturnal habits are somewhat confusing. I had to smile when on one occasion I returned to a site for a subsequent visit to find out that startled locals had suspected me of being a UFO. It is however, well worth the late nights to ensure a job well done.

As spring blooms once again, now is the time of year when WFE start getting lots of requests for Great Crested Newt surveys. I have already been out and about, conducting waterbody assessments and the first survey visits at sites up and down the country. Now I’m eagerly anticipating what the next visits might bring!

For further information on Great Crested Newt Surveys take a look at the amphibian and reptile page or contact us.

 Susie

Only rarely does the weather allow us the luxury of removing outer garments – standing still does not lend itself to keeping warm on all except the balmiest of days. For myself I remember a cold day in December when I decided to use a deck chair to observe from. All was well until the end of the watch when I tried to stand up and found I could not feel my legs for the cold, collapsing to the ground. It took me several hours and a hot bath to warm up again.

You get to know the vantage point regulars very quickly and eventually in great depth – the busy, hovering kestrel, monotonously circling buzzards, skittish golden plovers and buoyant lapwings. The odd rarer bird, such as the fleetingly seen large white (gyr?) falcon I saw last year, causes a racing of the pulse, and like fly fishing it keeps you hanging on for the next one. Estimating flying height and distance is difficult at first, and to my mind requires a good knowledge of the site, a knowledge of the bird species, due consideration to weather conditions and visibility. To say it becomes easier with experience is not to belittle the vigilance with which such estimations are made.

The sites are often that curious mixture of rural and industrial – the agribusiness farm with giant tractors hauling giant ploughs, or the landscape dominated by pylons and power lines, or criss-crossed by major roads and railways. All are tied together by the inherent openness and exposure to the wind, and other commonalities such as the predominance of wildlife of open spaces such as golden plovers, meadow pipits, brown hares and skylarks.

The solitary observer, motionless in the landscape, also has a great opportunity to observe wildlife without themselves being observed. Frequently, open fields are crossed by wary foxes, scattering hares and skylarks, or hedges are shadowed by sparrowhawks hoping to pick off the odd unlucky chaffinch. Sometimes the eyes are briefly averted as a motorist has a pee behind a hedge. Odder sites are provided by the wildlife, such as a bat being chased by crows in full daylight, or a kestrel repeatedly robbing a barn owl as it brings voles back to its nest, or the sudden convergence of hundreds of gulls seemingly from nowhere on a ploughing tractor.

More spectacular still are the dynamic cloudscapes and incidental movements of small parties of birds at great height, perhaps on non-stop migration to distant tundra nesting grounds. For consultants like us, with their feet very much on the ground, these surveys can provide a reminder that there is an immense aerial dimension that exists for birds about which we still know rather little.

Rob

Also follow the link to take a look at our first Newsletter.

Susie