Protected species
Surveys for the species planning authorities ask about
Where a preliminary appraisal identifies potential for protected species, targeted surveys follow. The windows are set by the species and cannot be compressed, which is why knowing early matters more here than anywhere else on a project.
Why timing dominates
A building assessed in October showing roost potential will usually need emergence surveys the following May. That is a seven-month wait, not a seven-week one. A preliminary appraisal can be done year-round. Getting one early is what stops that becoming a surprise.
Bat Surveys
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Roost assessment year-round; emergence surveys May–September
Preliminary roost assessment of buildings and trees, followed by emergence and re-entry surveys where potential is identified. The number of visits depends on the level of roost potential found.
Great Crested Newt Surveys
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Mid-March to mid-June, with a portion of visits in a narrower window
Habitat suitability assessment of ponds within range, followed by presence/absence survey or eDNA sampling. District level licensing may offer a faster route on some sites.
Badger Surveys
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Year-round, though clearer outside peak vegetation
Sett survey and activity assessment across the site and a surrounding buffer. Setts are protected, and works nearby may require a licence even where no animals are harmed.
Reptile Surveys
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April–September, temperature dependent
Habitat assessment followed by refugia survey across multiple visits. Common lizard, slow worm, grass snake and adder are the species usually encountered.
Bird Surveys
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Breeding season spring–summer; wintering surveys in opposite months
Breeding bird surveys, wintering bird surveys and barn owl assessment. Larger schemes may need a full annual cycle, which is why early scoping matters.
Dormouse Surveys
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April–November, multiple visits across the season
Nest tube or nest box survey across a season, scored against a standard index. One of the longer survey programmes, so it needs planning well ahead.
Otter Surveys
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Year-round
Survey of watercourses and banks for spraints, holts and couches. Frequently required alongside water vole survey on riparian and linear schemes.
Water Vole Surveys
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April–September
Survey of ditches, watercourses and banks for burrows, latrines and feeding remains. Displacement works require a licence and a mitigation strategy.
Not sure which protected species survey applies?
Send your site details →Mitigation & licensing
A positive result doesn't stop a scheme
Confirming a protected species on site means mitigation, and sometimes a licence. Both are routine. What causes difficulty is discovering the requirement late, when the licence determination period no longer fits the construction programme.
Protected species surveys →Which species surveys does your site need?
Send the site postcode and what you're proposing. We'll tell you which surveys apply and whether they fit your programme.