We ran a series of ecology training courses in 2016 details of which can be found below. We are also running a series of similar ecology training courses in 2020.
Badger Ecology 16th March 2016 5.30 – 8.30pm Evening CourseThis badger evening course. will provide an introduction to the legislation affecting badgers and a comprehensive background in badger biology and ecology. The course will demonstrate the techniques used in surveying badgers and gain an understanding of the threats they are facing. The course will be entirely classroom based and will be taught by Acer Ecology staff. The cost of the course is £15 per person inclusive of VAT.
Dormouse Ecology 23rd March 2016 5.30 – 8.30pm Evening Course The dormouse ecology evening course provides an introduction to the legislation affecting dormouse. A basic introduction to the ecology of dormouse will be a look at different survey methods including nut searches, the used of nest-tubes and nest boxes and nest identification. Advice will be given on the steps that participants can take working towards a dormouse survey licence. The course will be entirely classroom based and will be taught by Acer Ecology staff. The cost of the course is £15 per person inclusive of VAT. 
Otter Ecology 30th March 2016 5.30 – 8.30pm Evening CourseThe otter ecology evening course provides an introduction to the legislation affecting otter. A basic introduction to the ecology of otter will be followed by a look at otter survey methods. The course will be entirely classroom based and will be taught by Acer Ecology staff. The cost of the course is £15 per person inclusive of VAT. Bird Su
rvey Techniques Course April 13th 2015 5.30 – 8.30pm Evening Course During the course we will explore the techniques involved in a range of different bird surveys including winter bird counts, roost counts, nest box monitoring, vantage point surveys (for wind turbines sites) and breeding bird surveys. Great Crested Newts – April 20th 2016 5.30 – 8.30pm Evening Course
The Great Crested Newt course covers an introduction to the legislation affecting great crested newts, species identification and ecology, survey planning and survey methods. The course will be entirely classroom based and will be taught by Acer Ecology staff. The cost of the course is £15 per person inclusive of VAT.
Plant Identification for Phase 1 Surveyors – 23rd April 2016
The course will cover the identification of species important for separating out the major habitats (particularly different grassland types, ephemeral and short perennial habitats, aquatic and marginal habitats). Participants will learn about dominant species including common grasses, sedges, rushes and flowering plants. 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 Acer Ecology staff and will be held at Acer Ecology’s office in Cardiff Bay . 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 was held in 2015. The course runs from 10.00am until 4.00pm and costs £50 inclusive of VAT.
Reptile Ecology and Surveying 27th April 2016 5.30 – 8.30pm Evening CourseThe reptile course covers an introduction to the legislation affecting reptiles, species identification and ecology, survey planning and survey methods. The course will be entirely classroom based and will be taught by Acer Ecology staff. The cost of the course is £15 per person inclusive of VAT. Introduction to Bat Detector Surveys and Bat Sound Analysis – 3rd and 4th May 2016
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. The course will comprise an evening survey held at Cardiff Bay Wetland Reserve between 6.30pm until 9.30pm 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. The course costs £50 inclusive of VAT.
7th June 2016 Wetland Plant Identification
The course will help you to learn about the principles of aquatic plant identification and put them into practice around some of the sites in Cardiff Bay. The course will be delivered by Acer Ecology ecologists and will be held partly at our office in Cardiff Bay and partly in the field at Cardiff Bay Wetland Reserve. The course will run from 5.30pm until 8.30pm. The cost of the course is £15 per person inclusive of VAT.
14th June Introduction to Bat Detector Surveys
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 partly at our office in Cardiff Bay and partly in the field at Cardiff Bay Wetland Reserve. The course will run from 5.30pm until 8.30pm. Read an article about the grass identification course which took place in 2015.
Phase One and QGIS Training Course – 17th and 18th September 2016
This two day course comprises of Phase One Habitat survey methods on the first day and QGIS software training on the second day. Participants can choose to attend both days or just one of the training days. The Phase One Habitat Survey day will introduce participants to the Phase One methodology used frequently by ecologists to classify habitats. The QGIS day will explain how QGIS software can be used to map sites and specifically teach participants to use the QGIS software. There will be both indoor and outdoor components in order to undertake a Phase One Habitat survey. The course will be delivered by Acer Ecology in Cardiff Bay.
Fern Identification – 9th October 2016
The fern identification course will involve learning how to identify the more common ferns found in Wales. In addition, there will be an introduction to the biology and ecology of ferns. The course will be delivered by Acer Ecology and will be held at Acer Ecology’s office in Cardiff Bay. The course runs from 10.00am until 2.00pm and costs £15 inclusive of VAT.
Phase 1 Habitat Surveys – 6th November 2016
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 Acer Ecology 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 articles about the Phase 1 Habitat Survey courses which we held in 2014 and 2015.
