Wintering Bird Survey

Everything You Need to Know About Wintering Bird Surveys

Every year, just under a quarter of UK bird species migrate over the autumn and winter seasons, leaving them occupying other nests and sourcing food from different locations. Moving to other natural and man-made structures, however, comes with its hazards, as birds could be unaware of threats in the chosen area and humans may not even know that the birds are present.

Birds in circulation across the country are protected from harm, including any acts by humans that could negatively impact them or their eggs or nests. Legislation that defends British birds includes the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended), and with that in place, anyone conducting practices that could endanger birds will be classed as a breach of the law, including in planning projects.

A selection of bird surveys are available to reflect the changing behaviours of birds throughout the seasons, including for breeding birds and nesting birds. As for birds that relocate during the colder months of the year, an ecological consultant can conduct a wintering bird survey to guarantee the safety of present birds, avoid contradicting UK laws, and simplify decisions regarding planning applications.

Wintering Bird Surveys

Sometimes otherwise known as a winter bird survey, a wintering bird survey is a type of protected species survey for birds that specifically takes place during the winter months. For the estimated 20% of wild bird species that migrate every year as the temperature drops, a new development site or an existing building undergoing a renovation or extension could act as a viable roost.

The aims of a UK wintering bird survey include categorically confirming or denying the presence of birds, identifying suitable roosting features and locations, pinpointing likely food resources, and evaluating whether the birds, roosts and resources are under threat as a result of the proposed development. Steps can then be provided to enable the planning project to move forward safely.

Wintering Bird Survey Methods

Wintering Bird Survey Methodology

An assessment of potential winter bird species would usually be recommended on development sites with suitable features or following prior ecology surveys, such as a Preliminary Ecological Appraisal (PEA) or an Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA). The ecological consultant in charge of the inspection would first build an understanding of the survey area, mapping out the area and locations that could house wintering bird populations, such as fields, wetlands and woodlands.

Within the core period of winter, several visits to the site will be held over separate days, often in the morning due to bird activity being heightened during this time. Binoculars and telescopes may be required to identify winter birds from a distance, and it will also prevent any disturbance to them. A GPS device will then be used to note the location, species and population numbers of the birds. Other factors that help with bird identification include their appearance, calls and behaviour.

Two survey methods are commonly used in a wintering bird survey: transects and point counts. One enables an ecologist to pick up the presence of birds spotted during walks through transect routes and the other to observe all birds seen or heard within a set time of between five and 10 minutes. Based on the data collected, a heat map of popular areas that the wintering birds are inhabiting will be created, indicating any possible overlap between bird activity and the development plans.

Wintering Bird Survey Report

Immediately after the survey effort, an ecology report will be drafted together to summarise the entirety of the assessment. It will include all evidence taken from the area including maps, pictures and notes, and all information will be clearly outlined, such as the dates and times of each site visit, identified bird species, population numbers and specific habitat locations. The chosen field methods will be confirmed, along with the point count sections, transect routes and even the methodical pace used to carry out the inspection stages.

Whenever protected birds are found to be on a development site or it simply isn’t possible to rule out occupancy, wintering bird mitigation is needed to find solutions that will allow the planning project to continue without harming them. Any mitigation or compensation measures will feature within the winter bird survey report too, and between them and all other factors that create an overview of the entire survey process, it should be comprehensive enough to give the local planning authority everything needed to support applications for planning permission.

Wintering Bird Survey Guidelines

At any point that an ecological consultant is assigned to a site to undertake a wintering bird survey, certain guidelines must be followed to ensure that it is being conducted correctly and that the results are trustworthy and reliable.

Partnering with the structured winter bird survey methodology detailed above is our determination to operate within specific protocols, including Biodiversity Action Plans (BAPs), the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) survey methods, the CIEEM, IEA, RSPB and Natural England guidelines, and parameters set by relevant legislation.

Schedule a Wintering Bird Survey

With the presence of wintering birds affecting many developers all over the country during winter months, it is understandable if you want more information about Arbtech before choosing us as your provider of wintering bird surveys.

To eliminate any remaining questions you may have about our wintering bird surveys, the section below ticks off a few likely concerns, including timing it correctly, paying any fees and booking a site visit.

Wintering Bird Season in the UK

Many of the available protected species surveys are dictated by the time of year, as wildlife can go through periods of hibernation or simply be more active during certain months. It varies from species to species but, for example, barn owl surveys can be conducted throughout the year whereas great crested newt surveys can only be conducted between the months of March and June, with optimal periods occurring between April and May.

Bird surveys also see a similar level of variety in survey seasons, as a breeding bird survey and nesting bird check would be advised between March and July and March and August respectively. As for wintering bird surveys, however, the change in focus affects the recommended season, typically occurring between November and February. Due to this, clients booking a winter bird survey would need to plan ahead for it to happen within this period and outside of nesting and breeding season.

For more information on protected species survey seasons, refer to our ecology calendar.

Cost of Winter Bird Surveys

From small sites to large sites and everything in between, surveys of wintering birds may be needed on developments of all shapes and sizes. With this in mind, we would always rather price up our ecological consultancy services based on the specifications of the developer rather than unfairly give the same price to every client and expect a client to spend the same for an assessment of a small development site as they would for an assessment of a large one.

Speak to our team and send across details about your project and site, and we can then put together an accurate quote using these details. It may be that your development houses a nationally designated site or is in close proximity to features that are considered to be of high habitat suitability for wintering birds. Whatever the case, we can work with you to organise a wintering bird survey and ensure that you aren’t paying any more than you should.

The average cost of a winter bird survey can range drastically as a result of the project and site, but a basic assessment of a small site with only limited visits could cost as little as between £2,000 and £3,000. As for a more standard assessment of a small site with limited visits, the cost would rise between £4,000 and £6,000. Alternatively, a much more comprehensive assessment of a large and complex site with several visits could be priced at somewhere between £7,000 and £10,000.

Consult the Team at Arbtech

You could be aware of bird species on or near your development site or you might simply want to be cautious and rule out any chance of disrupting your plans. In order to help developers make the correct choices and weigh up their options properly, our team offers the opportunity to receive a free quote once you’ve given us an indication of your development’s details.

Our specialisms enable us to help with both planning and license applications. It means that the report of wintering birds on your site will help with your application for planning consent, but if you need to submit mitigation class license applications, we can also support that for you. Additionally, if other bird species need to be recorded separately outside of winter months as part of a nesting bird check or breeding bird survey, our team are equally qualified to carry out that work too.

If wintering bird surveys may be needed on your site, reach out today by calling us, emailing us, contacting us over social media or filling out a quote form on our website. We will then be able to decide on a suitable date with you for us to visit your site, undertake wintering bird surveys, and guide you through the planning process into future stages.