At last we no longer have to become entangled in unforgiving bramble thickets or jump knee deep into a muddy puddle we thought was shallow to get a glimpse in order to identify that LBJ (little brown job) that’s just tantalisingly nipped across our path and out of view…now, they will sing to us, thus negating all of the aforementioned sorry disasters.
Yes it will soon be breeding season again. All of the tit species plus goldcrest, treecreeper, nuthatch, wren, song thrush and mistle thrush are now getting in on the singing act. Woodpigeon don’t seem to have stopped mating and hardy birds such as barn owl, tawny owl and grey heron will in some cases be already nesting. To paraphrase a Shakespeare line ‘If birdsong be the food of love, sing on, give me excess of it!
The survey season is not confined to birds of course, we’re breaking out the bat detectors and wellies in preparation for some major site work requiring bat and great crested newt surveys. If you are planning on developing a site then make sure you get advice from an ecologist to be certain your plans are compliant with wildlife legislation and policy, which is needed to get your planning permission as smoothly as possible. Also, due to some certain pesky species behaviour and ecology it is wise to do this early on in your project to prevent any unnecessary delays further down the line.
To get in touch with one of the team to plan your site surveys please email survey@bakerconsultants.co.uk.