We ran a series of ecology training courses in 2015 details of which can be found below. We are also running a series of similar ecology training courses in 2020.
An Introduction to Wildlife Legislation and Wildlife Crime – 11th March 2015 The course will provide an introduction to the wildlife legislation that protects our native fauna and flora, as well as providing advice and information on what to do if you discover a wildlife crime. Practical sessions will look at a range of different scenarios to help reinforce the classroom based theory. The course will be delivered by retired Police Wildlife Crime Off
icer Ian Guildford.
Bat Survey Techniques- 27th March 2015 The bat surveying course will provide an introduction to undertaking professional bat surveys. The course will cover survey planning, health and safety, field survey signs, architectural terms, assigning a level of potential and characterising different roosts types. The course will be delivered by local bat expert Haydn Brookes and will take place at Margam Country Park, Margam, Neath Port Talbot, SA13 2TJ. Read an article about the bat survey course which has now taken place.
The Great Crested Newt course covers an introduction to the legislation affecting great crested newts, species identification and ecology, survey planning, survey methods including opportunities to practice eDNA survey, netting,bottle trapping, and egg searching and undertaking Habitat Suitability Index assessments for great crested newt. The course will be delivered by local expert Matt Levan and will be held at Rudry Parish Community Centre, Rudry CF83 3DF. Read an article about the great crested newt survey course which has now taken place.
Bat Sound Analysis – April 28th (evening) and 29th 2015 (daytime) The course is designed for professional or amateur bat surveyors who would like to learn or improve their bat call analysis skills. The course will cover the following topics: how bats use sound, an introduction to bat sound analysis software (analook, bat sound and batexplorer), recognising typical UK bat sound sonograms and building a call library. The course will be run by Acer Ecology staff at Bute Street, Cardiff Bay, CF10 5EQ. The course will comprise an evening survey held at Cardiff Bay Wetland Reserve between 7.00pm until 10.00pm to collect data which can be subsequently analysed during the daytime course. The daytime course will run from 9.30 am until 1 pm and will be entirely classroom based.
Plant Identification for Phase 1 Surveyors – 18th May 2015
The course will cover the identification of species important for separating out the major habitats (particularly different grassland types, woodland, aquatic and marginal habitats). Participants will learn about dominant species including common grasses, sedges, rushes, flowering plants and trees. The course supports the Phase 1 Habitat Survey course and will be useful for anyone looking to brush up on their identification skills. The course will be delivered by Mark Duffell and will be held at Acer Ecology’s office in Cardiff Bay and will be primarily classroom based. The afternoon session will include a visit to Cardiff Bay Wetland Reserve. Read an article about the plant identification for phase 1 surveyors course which has now taken place.
Grass Identification for Beginners – 8th July 2015
The Grass Identification course is a focused training day during which we will look at the structure of grasses and learn to understand the terminology used in keys. We will then go into how to identify the more common species. The course will be delivered by Acer Ecology ecologists and will be held at our office in Cardiff Bay . The afternoon session will include a visit to Cardiff Bay Wetland Reserve. The course will run from 9.30am until 1.30pm and costs £20.00 inclusive of VAT. Read an article about the grass identification course which has now taken place.
Top Ten Botanical Families – 18th August 2015
The course builds from the basics starting with understanding plant families and how each plant is classified. By the end of the day participants should be able to recognise the common species in 10 of the most popular plant families. The course will involve both an indoor and outdoor sessions and will be taught by Acer Ecology staff and will be held at Acer Ecology’s office in Cardiff Bay. The course will run from 9.30am until 1.30pm and costs £20.00 inclusive of VAT.
Vegetative Plant Identification – 13th October 2015
This course is designed to improve your skills in identifying plants using vegetative characters. During the course we will use a variety of identification keys including the Vegetative Key to the British Flora by John Poland. We will look at a a variety of plants focusing on the key structures and features which allow accurate identification of plants at any time of the year. The course will be delivered by Mark Duffell.
Reptiles: Ecology, Survey, and Mitigation – 23rd September 2015 The reptile course is designed for professional surveyors and will include an outdoor site visit and indoor presentation. The morning would be outdoors to ensure the chance to observe reptiles in the field is maximised to best potential. The outdoor session will be at a long-term monitored and managed site to see all widespread species and the conservation measures implemented. The course will be delivered by Nigel Hand and will take place at a site on the edge of the black mountains in Herefordshire. Read an article about the reptile course which has now taken place.
Phase 1 Habitat Surveys – 1st October 2015
The Phase 1 Habitat Survey course will introduce participants to the phase 1 methodology to classifying habitats. There will be both indoor and outdoor sessions where we will undertake a phase 1 habitat survey. The course will be delivered by Mark Duffell and will be held at Acer Ecology’s office in Cardiff Bay. The course runs from 10.00am until 4.00pm and costs £50 inclusive of VAT. Read an article about the Phase 1 Habitat Survey courses which we held in 2014 and 2015.
Winter Tree Identification 18th November 2015 –The winter tree identification course will introduce you to the key characters used in the identification of deciduous trees and shrubs. Emphasis will be placed on key characters to distinguish each species from similar looking trees. The course will involve both an indoor and outdoor sessions and will be taught by Acer Ecology staff and will be held at Acer Ecology’s office in Cardiff Bay. The course will run from 9.30am until 1.30pm and costs £20.00 inclusive of VAT. Read an article about a Winter Tree Identification course which we held in 2014
- The majority of our full day courses cost £50 per person inclusive of VAT. The grass identification for beginners, the top 10 botanical families and the winter tree identification courses run for half a day and cost £20.00 inclusive of VAT.
- Tea, coffee and biscuits are provided – please bring your own packed lunch.
- The courses will be partly field based and so please wear appropriate footwear and clothing.
- All attendees will be issued with a certificate of attendance.
