As you may be aware, there’s a very limited period of time when you can survey for great crested newts. This, coupled with the fact that this window is early on in the year, makes this the species that is most likely to catch out the unsuspecting developer.

The survey window is mid-March to mid-June, which coincides with the breeding season, when newts can be found in water. Four site visits are required to establish presence or likely absence; a further two to establish population size if newts are found. In both cases, half of these visits need to take place between mid-April and mid-May.

If you know that you need a great crested newt survey, now is the time to get it booked in.

If you have a site where you haven’t yet had a Preliminary Ecological Appraisal (PEA) carried out, it is advisable to get it done now, in case a great crested newt survey is recommended. This is normally the case if your site is within 250m of a pond (or within 500m of a pond known to contain GCN) and contains any rough grassland, scrub, hedgerow, tall ruderal (nettles etc) or woodland.

For more information, see our article Great Crested Newts – Everything You Need to Know

At UEEC, we have in-house GCN licence holders and extensive experience in carrying out both conventional and eDNA surveys.

To discuss your project, please call 01273 686766 or email hello@ueec.co.uk and we’ll be happy to help!