London, England, United Kingdom
As an Associate Ecologist, I manage several projects, organise and carry out a range of habitat and protected species surveys and prepare a variety of reports. I also help manage and train the team at our Dorking Office. I currently hold NE licences for surveying bats (Level 2), dormice, great crested newts, barn owls, rare reptiles and roman snails. In my spare time, I attend training courses and workshops to improve my ID skills in both entomology and ecology.
I progressed from Assistant to Senior Ecologist in my time with The Ecology Partnership My role involved conducting preliminary ecological appraisals, Phase 1 habitat surveys, numerous protected species surveys and translocations, including reptiles, bats, GCNs, dormice and badgers. I was involved in numerous projects as part of a small team and mentored junior staff members. I also prepared survey reports, EcIAs, enhancement and management strategies and mitigation licences.
As a technical assistant to the Entomology Team at Forest Research, I assisted with a number of projects both in the field and in the lab. My main duties involved helping collect and sort specimens for a Sitka Spruce project in Wales and an Oak Processionary Moth project in the Royal Parks in London.
With TEC, I helped to conduct surveys of protected species, including reptiles, great crested newts, birds, bats and badgers, as well as ecological supervision of clearance works on site. I also conducted site walkovers to make assessments of any protected species that may be present and make recommendations for further surveys or precautionary methods of work. When not in the field, I helped with report writing and data management.
As a part-time field ecologist with Aspect Ecology, I took part in many GCN, reptile and bat surveys during the peak survey season. I also lead a number of GCN surveys with fellow field ecologists, which involved sorting and collecting the equipment, recording all the information for the site and organising surveyors on site. This role enabled me to gain experience on a wide range of projects all over the country as well as improve my knowledge and identification skills.