Ground nesting bird mitigation - Scotland wide

Who needs these services?

Any construction project which poses a threat to ground nesting birds and will be operational during nesting season needs to have a plan in place to prevent nesting delaying projects which can result in financial penalties.

All birds are protected under the wildlife & countryside act 1981 and it is an offence to disturb nesting birds. This offence can lead to prosecution and costly fines as well as the delays to the project.

This requirement will usually be flagged by the ecology team on the project.

Ground nesting bird mitigation considers the attractions on site for birds and will advise on standing water (attractive to gulls, wildfowl & waders), grass length (larks and songbirds), trees and bushes (corvids & pigeons) and any other habitat that is likely to attract birds onto the site.

A management plan will then be actioned to prevent birds from establishing on site ahead of breeding season. These plans typically commence in February/March dependent on the species causing concern and require a combination of measures to keep the site compliant. As well as the habitat management aspect the plan may include use of birds of prey, working dogs, visual deterrents, acoustic deterrents or installation of bird proofing such as over ponds.

Key points:

Collated weekly reports will be supplied to stakeholders as required for their records. Regular site meetings will be held with stakeholders to discuss progress, safety briefings and upcoming work areas/recommendations.

Reporting and stakeholder engagement

Works continue throughout breeding season and will be operating matched to the growing hours of daylight to ensure a presence is always on site and birds cannot establish nests.

Breeding season

This phase includes getting boots on the ground often establishing a welfare compound ( due to being on site before the main team), liasing with any habitat management contractors, installing proofing or control measures and commencing the work with birds of prey and/or

Mobilisation

Full day on site monitoring bird species, habitat and liasing with ecologists. This then leads to a desk based report being produced outlining the risks and the mitigation required.

Initial site survey

FAQs

What experience do we have? Our team has experience of being part of projects such as:

TECA (P&J Live) Aberdeen
AWPR
TJ MORRIS distribution centre Doncaster
Dounreay Nuclear Facility.
Various housing developments
Findhorn Viaduct

Where do we cover? While we offer this service primarily in Scotland given the specialist nature of the services required we are open to discussing projects anywhere in the UK.