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Watching the digger strip the vegetation

Temporary removal of common lizards and natterjack toads from an area of sea wall at Burnham Overy in North Norfolk scheduled for engineering works. Work was conducted under at EPS licence. 338 lizards and 10 natterjacks were moved to the adjacent dune system prior to the works commencing. Potential water vole burrows were also searched before access for plant could be constructed across a ditch.

WFE performed a watching brief during works, rescuing several more lizards as the vegetation was removed. A new reptile and amphibian hibernaculum was created.

Site survey, assessment and CEMP for a thousand home development proposal in Norwich. The site is currently a golf course, so WFE had to work closely with the site owners to organise timely access for surveys.

The site held several bat roosts, and contained a number of mature trees, as well as a small badger sett. The client was informed by an Ecological Constraints and Opportunities Plan, and designed the development with constraints in mind.

Planning permission was given and the first phase of construction is due to start shortly.

The largest Phase 1 survey Wild Frontier Ecology has conducted covered the zone of influence of a 45 km underground cable route, stretching from the North Norfolk Coast to central Norfolk. The route was buffered by 70 to 100 metres and walked by a team of trained surveyors. Habitats were classified and mapped to JNCC standards. Habitat maps were provided for the whole route and also at a smaller scale for each 1 km grid square the route passed through. Maps were supported by detailed target notes and photographs which highlighted habitat features and potential protected species issues.

Further specialist arboricultural and hedgerow surveys were then undertaken in some areas to minimise damage to habitats and inform a locally sensitive hedgerow re-planting scheme. WFE provided significant input into the survey design to ensure it provided the developer with all the necessary information to ensure sensitive habitats and features could be avoided.

Thompson Common

WFE undertook NVC survey of Thompson Water, Carr and Common SSSI in Norfolk on behalf of Natural England as part of their ongoing monitoring of SSSIs. The surveys focused on identifying the communities for which the SSSI is noted, including a range of swamp, fen, woodland and grassland communities. The surveys provided detailed NVC maps of the site, detailed descriptions of the communities identified, target notes of key features, assessment of the management issues and recommendations. Advice was given on the effects of different grazing animals on the site, leading to options for changes in management.

Sphagnum capillifolium in the Welsh uplands

WFE also worked on a potential wind farm development in the mountains of mid-Wales. We undertook a set of habitat and protected species surveys. The site consisted of nearly 15km² of open mountain side with few existing tracks or roads. With the aid of aerial photos and GPS, our botanists undertook a full survey of the site to create an accurate Phase 1 habitat map and NVC mapping. This will aid the future site planning, identifying key bog habitats which should be avoided by the development.

Over 150 quadrats were sampled and 14 distinct habitat types were identified, ranging from mire to acid grassland, with a variety of distinct bog pool communities. The most common habitat type was Molinia caerulea-Potentilla erecta mire.

Graham conducting a vantage point survey

WFE completed a five year monitoring study of bird movements at an operational wind farm site in Suffolk. WFE had completed the pre-construction surveys, and monitoring was necessary to determine avoidance effects for two sensitive species. We undertook carcass searches and repeat vantage point surveys, and were able to determine actual collision rates and compare them with those projected in the Environmental Impact Assessment. The results have been used to inform overall vulnerability assessments of seabirds and other species.

Badger

WFE provided protected species surveys and reports leading to the successful planning consent at Middlewick Wind Farm in Essex.  We then provided ecological clerk of works during the construction phase of the project. This included excluding water vole from areas of impact and applying for a Natural England licence to close a badger sett. The badgers were relocated and the turbines constructed. We are now overseeing the installation of a range of ecological enhancements and conducting post construction monitoring at the site.

Water vole survey

As part of ongoing Environment Agency river restoration works, WFE has undertaken surveys for protected water vole and otter along multiple sections of the River Wensum SAC. These were carried out alongside habitat surveys and targeted surveys for bats and badgers.

The riparian mammal surveys focused primarily on the main river channel, and often involved a finger-tip search of the banks. Our survey results and impact assessments were used to inform restoration designs and mitigation protocol. Once restoration works were complete, further surveys have been conducted to determine the success of the project.