The Ecology Consultancy

#Fridayfact time! This rather ornamental structure is the flower of a horse chestnut, Aesculus hippocastanum. #Didyouknow that when the leaf stalks of a horse chestnut fall, they leave a scar on the twig resembling an inverted horse shoe with nail holes? The conkers also used to be ground up as a remedy for horses to help against coughs. These associations with horses are thought to be the origin of the tree's name.
Any tree related queries? We can help! We now work in collaboration with our sister company Arbeco to offer our clients a fully-integrated service across our in-house arboricultural consultancy and ecology functions.
This shot was taken by Ginny, our Marketing Assistant, whilst on a lunchtime walk near our Sussex office.

We were delighted to host a well-attended Ecology, Planning and Development CPD Lunch on Tuesday for Women in Property North West & Yorkshire. Topics discussed included the importance of engaging with ecologists, new licensing developments for great crested newt and bats, and why we need to be aware of invasive species. The National Trust Nostell Estate provided the perfect venue!

What do you get when you put an ecologist in the kitchen? *insert joke here* Gingerbread bats & chocolate hedgehogs apparently! Well done to our Wakefield team who organised "the Great Nostell bake-off" bake sale this week with 100% of the proceeds going to Mind.

UK MPs have declared Climate Emergency. Climate change is on the tip of everyone’s tongues, but as well as talking the talk it is important that we walk the walk too. May is #NationalWalkingMonth. Why not use this as an additional motive for leaving the car behind and making at least some of those everyday trips on foot instead?
This shot was captured by Assistant Ecologist Matt Kirby from our Lichfield team whilst on a walk in the woods. What nature and wildlife trails will national walking month take you on?

“Beavers are unrivalled as ecosystem engineers. They have the potential to greatly increase the health and resilience of our natural environment by creating new habitats." says Chief Executive of Scottish Wildlife Trust. Following a successful reintroduction trial between 2009 and 2014, as of 1st may 2019 #beavers now have European Protected Species status! https://www.scotsman.com/…/beavers-in-s cotland-get-eu-prote…

When different species' breeding seasons overlap... Talk about photo-bombing, this blue tit has decided to nest-bomb one of our dormouse nest tubes. Spotted by Ecologist Robin Searle whilst out on survey.

With Natural England's District Level Licensing strategy for Great Crested Newt to be gradually rolled out throughout England, this year is seeing a significant change to the policies and procedures surrounding this species' conservation. District level licensing is still in its infancy and we have laid out a few of the potential pros and cons that the emerging scheme could involve.

Corncrakes, turtledoves, cuckoos, skylarks and nightingales are just a few of the globally threatened species of bird in severe decline. To raise awareness on this, the RSPB Love Nature have released 'Let Nature Sing', a track featuring 25 endangered birds' songs and they are trying to get it into the charts. If you wish to help #LetNatureSing again, this is definitely worth tweeting about!

Holly's picture of the blue tit brood inspired this week's #FridayFact. #Didyouknow that blue tits, who have very large clutches (on average 8-12 eggs), lay one egg per day in order to ensure asynchronous hatching? This is an adaptation to a fluctuating food supply - during seasons when food is short the later hatched young are more likely to starve as the earlier hatched young, larger and stronger, deprive them of food, and so the size of the brood is reduced to a level in balance with the available food supply. Blue tits also time the hatching of their broods to match the hatching of their favourite food, the green oak tortrix caterpillar.

Great to see biodiversity enhancement action happening on our London office doorstep - keep up the great work Team London Bridge! This wildflower meadow aims to support the conservation efforts on stag beetles, house sparrows and pollinators as part of the Southwark Council Biodiversity Action Plan.

This blue tit brood was spotted by Holly, Ecologist on our London team, one breeding bird season. The peak months for breeding are just around the corner, in May and June, but there are exceptions and nests can be found at unexpected times of the year.

This great crested newt was captured last week on a pond survey in East Sussex using bottle traps. These distinct markings that appear on the stomach are unique to each individual.
We can advise on and are licensed to carry out all aspects of Great Crested Newt conservation and protection. Our ecologists are licensed to carry out thorough field surveys, as well as mitigation and habitat enhancement.

Happy Easter to all! Test how strong your ecology knowledge is with our #GuessTheSpecies #Easteregg quiz! Who do these eggs belong to? a) an adder b) a smooth snake c) a grass snake

Take part in our #GuessTheSpecies #Easteregg quiz! Find out how well you know your species by identifying their eggs. What species do these belong to? a) a great crested newt b) a smooth newt... C) a freshwater fish
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Some of the Wakefield team had a great yet challenging time last weekend completing the BeGungHo 5k fun run in Leeds! Inflatable obstacles definitely made running more enjoyable! #teamTEC!

Know your pipistrelles from your barbastelles? And your smooth newts from your cresties? But how fine are your egg ID skills? Check your level with The Ecology Consultancy’s #GuessTheSpecies #Easteregg quiz! We found this nest full of eggs hidden in one of our dormouse boxes. But who do they belong to? a) a house sparrow b) a blue tit... c) a coal tit
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Looking to reach new heights in your career? We're hiring an Arboricultural Consultant to join either our newly-expanded team based at the foot of the South Downs, or our team in the London office overlooking the Thames. Find out more below and get in touch.

From greater horseshoe and noctule, to whiskered & brown long-eared bats and many more, our experts work a huge variety of bats and are certainly very appreciative for these extraordinary creatures. Happy #BatAppreciationDay from The Ecology Consultancy!