Otter, Badger and Water Vole Surveys

Stuart Spray Wildlife Consultancy provides otter, badger and water vole surveys. In addition we also conduct red squirrel and pine martin surveys.

Protection in the UK is afforded to all bats, all cetaceans, red squirrel, badger, water vole, hazel dormouse, pine marten, otter and wildcat under Schedules 5 and 6 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 as amended by the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 in Scotland and the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CRoW) in England.

Further protection is afforded to badger under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 amended by the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 in Scotland.

As a ‘European Protected Species’, further protection is afforded to all UK bat species, otter, all cetaceans, hazel dormouse and wildcat under the Regulation 39 of the Conservation (Natural Habitats etc.) Regulations 1994.

Badger Surveys

All habitat within 100m of the development site is surveyed by Stuart Spray Wildlife Consultancy for evidence of badgers including:

• Sett entrances;
• Badger paths linking sett entrances and foraging areas;
• Tufts of black and white hair caught on barbed wire and/or outside sett entrances;
• Footprints;
• Claw marks scratched on tree trunks;
• Spoil heaps of earth outside sett entrance;
• Bedding dropped on paths or near sett entrances; and
• Latrines (droppings).

Camera traps can be used to determine if a sett or path is currently active.

Otter Surveys

The banks of all water courses within 250m of the development boundary are surveyed for evidence of otter, including:

• Spraints (droppings);
• Feeding remains;
• Footprints, footpaths;
• Otter couches (otter shelters above ground); and
• Otter holts (otter shelters below ground).

Surveys are timed to take place after it has been dry for two or three days to ensure that otter field signs are not washed away by heavy rain or high water levels.

Camera traps can be used to determine if a holt or path is currently active.

Red Squirrel Surveys

Land within the footprint of the development site is surveyed by Stuart Spray Wildlife Consultancy for evidence of red squirrel, including:

• Feeding remains; and
• Active squirrel dreys.

Where populations of red and grey squirrels overlap, trees with squirrel dreys are climbed to collect samples of fur to be analysed under microscope to identify which species of squirrel is using the drey. Hair traps may also be deployed to identify which species of squirrel is active within the footprint of the development.

Water Vole Surveys

All watercourses within 100m of the development site are surveyed for water vole field signs including:

• Droppings and latrines;
• Burrows;
• Grazed lawns around burrow entrances; and
• Feeding remains.

Surveys are timed to take place after it has been dry for two or three days to ensure that field signs are not washed away by heavy rain or high water levels.

Camera traps can be used to determine if a site is currently active.