Bird Survey Dorset

Glade Ecology undertake bird surveys throughout Dorset and the surrounding area.

Our team of expert ecologists can help guide your project through the planning process. By working closely with our clients, we ensure that their developments progress smoothly and in full compliance with the law, orchestrating the best possible outcome for them and the natural world.

Considering ecological issues early on in the planning process can help ensure that potentially costly and time-consuming delays are avoided.

What is a bird survey?

All wild British birds, their nests (at any construction stage), eggs (with certain limited exceptions), and recently fledged dependent young, are legally protected. Certain species are subject to additional protection from disturbance whilst nest building, whilst near a nest with eggs or young, or from disturbing the dependent young.

Where birds are deemed likely to be affected by project proposals, a variety of bird surveys may be required, which aim to establish presence/ likely absence of nesting, wintering, or passage birds on site, and identify potential for constraints and opportunities. Glade Ecology's experienced ecologists are experts in undertaking a broad range of ornithological surveys. Identifying the presence of target birds early, ensures that they are not inadvertently affected by site works, thereby enabling amendment of architectural layouts, modification of working practices, or rescheduling the timing of works, ultimately avoiding potentially costly and time-consuming delays.

Nesting bird check - Typically undertaken when any vegetation clearance or works to structures with suitability for supporting roof-nesting species commences during the bird nesting season (March-August inclusive). Relevant features will be subject to an inspection by a suitably experienced ecologist, within 48 hours prior to the proposed works start date. Where access permits, the inspection will encompass a 10m buffer outside of the works area. If any active nesting or nesting territories are recorded, these will be protected, along with an appropriate buffer zone of 10m, until the nesting is complete, and the young have fledged and become independent.

Breeding bird survey - Undertaken in order to determine the number of nesting bird species, and the density and distribution of territories within the site, enabling the full extent of effects on nesting birds to be established, and appropriate avoidance, mitigation and, where necessary, compensation measures to be devised. The survey involves the mapping of territories across six visits between mid March-early July, each typically commencing within 30 minutes either side of sunrise, and concluding by mid morning.  Survey visits are spaced at least two weeks apart, ensuring that a broad range of the breeding season is sampled, capturing early-season residential breeders, and later migrants. Transect surveys may be supplemented by the deployment of static acoustic detectors, set to record for several consecutive days, within different priority habitats across the site.

Winter bird survey - Similarly to breeding bird surveys, a winter bird survey involves walking a series of transects across the site, recording all wintering or non-breeding birds, seeking to qualify the diversity and distribution of birds interacting with each distinct land parcel, in the context of their specific ecology and population status. A desk study will initially be undertaken, to determine the habitats present on site and the ecology of priority species likely to be encountered. The survey effort will typically encompass both the core winter months (November-February inclusive), and passage (September-October inclusive, and March). At least one survey per month will be undertaken. Whereas many species are primarily detectable through breeding and territorial call and song during the breeding season, audible detectability generally diminishes during the non-breeding season, with behavior shifting to foraging and resource acquisition. Surveyors must therefore typically rely on visual identification. Given that birds are typically more obvious for longer periods during this time, there are fewer restrictions on the timing of winter bird surveys, with optimal visibility conditions being the most significant factor in survey planning.

Vantage point survey - These surveys focus on identifying flight heights and paths of target species, such as wildfowl, waders, and raptors. They are typically undertaken for wind turbine developments, where determining the regular flight patterns of such species enables collision risk modelling, identifying threats to bird populations such as mortality, disturbance, displacement, exclusion, or loss and damage of habitat. For smaller developments, a single vantage point will be established, allowing optimal visibility of the proposed turbine location(s), the core area survey, and wider buffer zone. Several vantage points may be required for larger schemes. Surveyors at each vantage point record detailed data for each target species observed, as well as less specific data for secondary species. Though survey effort is always site specific, general methodology stipulates that a minimum of 36 hours of observation time is undertaken at each vantage point, each season (breeding, spring and autumn passage, and winter), broken down into six days of three two hour survey sessions (two hours at dawn, two at mid day, and two pre dusk).

Tailored species-specific presence/ likely absence and distribution surveys - For certain species, the standard breeding bird methodology may not be appropriate for determining presence/ likely absence, and/ or the number of territories. If as part of a preliminary desk study, it is deemed possible that any such species may be present on site, a tailored species-specific survey may be required, to ensure that the description of the ornithology baseline is complete, precise, and definitive. Such surveys cover a broad range of species, each with specific associated methodologies, from barn owl nest inspections, to evening nightjar territory transects, kingfisher surveys, or gull spot counts.

Bird surveys are seasonally constrained and may be protracted, making it prudent to plan ahead and consider ecological issues early on in the planning process. A robust bird survey at an early stage in project planning and design can therefore deliver significant benefits, avoiding potentially costly and time-consuming delays.​

Though the presence of ecological constraints very rarely prevents a development from proceeding, avoidance, mitigation, or compensation measures may need to be implemented, to adequately negate adverse impacts to the site's ecological value. For more information about ecology surveys, click below.

Bird Survey

How Glade Ecology can help you

With over fifteen years' experience in undertaking ecological surveys, mitigation design, licensing, site supervision, and monitoring, our friendly team of expert ecologists can help guide your project through the planning process. By working closely with our clients and considering ecological issues early on, we can help ensure that potentially costly and time-consuming delays are avoided.

We pride ourselves on providing pragmatic, practical solutions for our clients, that not only ensure full compliance with wildlife legislation, but that achieve the best possible outcome, for both them and the natural world.

We undertake bird surveys throughout Dorset and the surrounding areas of Somerset, Hampshire and Wiltshire. For more information about the services that we provide, or to request a free quotation, please contact us below.

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