Year Planner

Traditionally, environmental issues are not considered at an early stage in project planning.

The Year Planners below show the best times of year to deal with specific issues. Click on one of the following species to go straight to the appropriate year planner.

• Badgers,
• Water Voles,
• Great Crested Newts,
• Bats,
• Crayfish,
• Nesting Birds.

Badgers,

1. Badger Surveys. Best carried out during November to April when the vegetation is low and field signs easier to identify.
2. Badger Surveys. Surveys can continue but become less reliable as the vegetation becomes more dense.
3. Artificial Badger Sett Construction. These should be constructed at least six months before a sett exclusion. Winter is the time to complete artificial setts to give the badgers time to familiarise themselves before the licensing season.
4. Badger Territorial Bait Marking Surveys. Territorial marking is at its peak between February and April and the vegetation is low enough to identify latrines. This is the only time of year when bait marking is effective.
5. Badger Licensing Season. Between 1st July and 30th November. Nature Conservancy Councils will normally only issue disturbance and exclusion licences outside this time period in cases of proven urgency.

Water Voles

1. Water Vole Surveys. Need to be carried out during the summer breeding season. Best carried out between March and June before the vegetation grows too high.
2. Water Vole Surveys. Can continue for the rest of the breeding season but field signs become harder to identify as the vegetation becomes more dense.
3. Water Vole Exclusions. Excluding and trapping are recommended during February and March, before the breeding season or October and November, after the end of the breeding season.

Great Crested Newts

1. GCN Breeding Pond Surveys are the only way to effectively establish presence or absence and to quantify populations. These are best carried out between March and June.
2. Terrestrial Searches are least effective but can be carried out during early spring and during the autumn, depending upon weather conditions. Surveys should be carried out when night temperatures are above five degrees centigrade and when the ground is moist.

Bats

1. Flight Surveys that involve identification of bats in flight by observation or echolocation can only be carried out between April and October, outside the hibernation period. Surveys of this type can be carried out without a licence as they are non intrusive.
2. Bat Roost Surveys are best carried out between May and September when the bats are active. A licence is required for roost surveys.
3. Hibernation Roost Surveys can only be carried out between November and March when the bats are hibernating. These surveys are very difficult to carry out as basts hibernate deep in cracks and crevices and are therefore difficult to identify.
4. Habitat surveys can only be effectively carried out between April and October when the bats are active.

Crayfish

1. Crayfish Surveys. Surveys are best carried out July to October although it is possible to carry out surveys during April.
2. Crayfish Releasing Young. Surveys should not be carried out during May and June because crayfish are releasing their young.
3. Reduced Crayfish Activity. Surveys should not be carried out during the winter months due to reduced levels of activity.

Nesting Birds

1. Nesting Bird Season. No vegetation clearance work should be carried out during the nesting bird season unless immediately preceded by a thorough nesting bird survey.
2. Vegetation Clearance Work. Best carried out at these times of year when birds are not nesting although work must stop if nests are found.