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Wildlife Trust Ecology Groups

Survey Programme 2019

Welcome to the 2019 Ecology Groups programme, as you will see Ecology Groups are growing into new areas of the

county and there are more surveys to get involved with. Our Ecology Groups have been established to help us

demonstrate the effect of our reserve management work and to assess the quality of the habitats we manage.

Ecology Groups are part of a team within our Conservation & Policy Department and you’ll be in the field surveying

and collecting data on species and habitats.

You’ll learn a huge amount through this work, gaining skills to identify species, provide valuable data and see it used

to benefit wildlife conservation in Kent. You’ll have the opportunity to learn from experienced staff and volunteers

who will help to develop your survey and identification skills. All you need is an interest in wildlife, you don’t need a

background or any prior knowledge, but you’ll likely want to grow your skills and help us to make a difference for

wildlife.

Volunteering with Ecology Groups a great role for students and those wishing to gain experience in the conservation

sector as well as anyone wanting to learn more about species and habitats. If you are building your CV, in order to

gain the most of this opportunity, we would recommend volunteers participating in both surveying role and our

Ecology Group data processing role (for more details contact [email protected]). We also

encourage our Ecology Group volunteers to participate in our Wildlife Study Day programme of activities, there is a

charge for these, but a discount is offered on many of these for active volunteers. Volunteers will also benefit from

getting involved with our Practical Conservation task days.

How much time do I need to give?

Our Ecology Groups work primarily between spring and late summer, and volunteers usually commit to participating

in a day long activity with us, usually starting from around 9 or 10am and finishing at 4pm. You can attend as many

sessions as you would like.

What do I need to bring with me?

It’s essential that you wear weather-appropriate clothing and sturdy, sensible footwear. You should bring your lunch

and a drink with you. Not all of our sites are fully accessible and you will often be working on uneven ground, please

check the accessibility details of the site you are visiting on our website.

What will I be doing?

The last page of this programme details what is involved in each type of survey.

Where will activities take place?

Activities are taking place all over Kent, full details of which are listed in this programme.

Important Surveys are run by different members of staff and volunteers on different reserves and in different parts of the county. You MUST contact the relevant person using the email address listed to let them know you intend to come to a session to make sure that:

a) You know the meeting place and time for the survey b) You can be contacted in the event that the survey is cancelled due to bad weather or staff illness

Typically surveys are from 10am until 4pm (sometimes we may finish earlier), though this may vary slightly. Usually volunteers attend for the whole day, but you are welcome to come for a half day.

mailto:[email protected]

If you have any questions about Ecology Groups please contact:

Lucy Carden | Assistant Conservation Officer

Mobile: 07740 182877

E-mail: [email protected]

Kent Wildlife Trust, Tyland Barn, Sandling Lane, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 3BD

Website: http://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/wildlife/ecology-groups

Facebook: search ‘Kent Wildlife Trust Ecology Groups’


http://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/wildlife/ecology-groups

Survey Survey days Reserves (days) Dates Contact email

Water vole survey

Monday Holborough Marshes

1st

May Nigel Jennings

[email protected]

Plant survey (habitat condition assessment – woodland)

Tuesdays Potters Copse (1) 7th

May Lucy Carden [email protected]

Potters Copse (2) 14th

May

Plant survey (habitat condition assessment – chalk grassland)

RESERVES

Thursday Princes Bank 30th

May Alison Ruyter [email protected]

Thursdays

Darland Banks (1) 13th

June


June


July

Monday The Larches 3rd

June

Friday Nashenden 7th

June

TBC Bluebell Hill TBC

Mondays

Burham TBC – Contact the organiser for further details

Steve Weeks [email protected]

Wouldham

Peters Pit

Tuesdays

Queendown Warren TBC – Contact the organiser for further details

Rob Pennington

[email protected]

Queendown Extension

ROADSIDE NATURE RESERVES (Maidstone area)

Thursdays Princes Ave and North Dane Way

23rd

May Bethany Pateman

[email protected]

Detling Hill and A2490

30th

May

Bluebell Hill 20th

June

Orchid survey Thursdays Darland Banks 25th

April Alison Ruyter [email protected]

2nd

May

9th

May

Moths - day flying moth survey (straw belle)

TBC

Darland Banks Contact organiser for further details

Heather Furse

[email protected]




Monday

Kemsing Down (1)

13th



ROADSIDE NATURE RESERVES

Thursday

Hartley 6th

June Beth Pateman

[email protected]

RESERVES

Monday Magpie Bottom (1) 3rd

June Susanna Clerici

[email protected]

Magpie Bottom (2) 10th

June

Tuesday Magpie Bottom (3) 11th

June

Monday Magpie Bottom (4) 17th

June

Magpie Bottom (5) 24th

June

Magpie Bottom (6) 1st

July

Friday Fackenden (1) 7th

June Paul Glanfield

[email protected]

Monday Fackenden (2) 17th

June

Wednesday Fackenden (3) 3rd

July

Monday Fackenden (4) 8th

July

TBC Fackenden (5) TBC

Monday Polhill Bank (1) 10th

June

Friday Polhill Bank (2) 21st

June

Friday Kemsing Down (1) 14th

June

Monday Kemsing Down (2) 24th

June


Thursdays Quarry wood (1) 9th


Quarry wood (2) 16th

May

Plant survey (habitat condition assessment – neutral grassland)

Tuesdays

Marden Meadow (1)

4th

June Matt Hayes

[email protected]

Marden Meadow (2)

11th

June

Marden Meadow (3)

18th

June

Coronation Meadows (1)

25th

June


2nd

June


9th

June

The Gill TBC

Plant survey (habitat condition assessment – woodland/acid grassland)

Fridays South Blean (1) 7th

June Lucy Carden [email protected]

South Blean (2) 14th

June

South Blean (3) 21st

June

South Blean (4) 28th June

South Blean (5) 5th

July

South Blean (6) 12th

July

Bigbury Camp (7) 19th

July

TBC


RESERVES

Thursdays Old Park Hill (1) 6th

June Lucy Carden

[email protected]

Old Park Hill (2) 13th

June


June


June

Nemo Down (1) 4th

July

Nemo Down (2) 11th

July

Nemo Down (3) 18th

July

Wednesday Park Gate Down (1) 12th

June

ROADSIDE NATURE RESERVES

Tuesday’s Lydden Hill 21st

May Beth Pateman

[email protected]

Whitfield Hill 11th

June

Coldred Hill 18th

June

Wart-Biter Bush Cricket survey day

Thursdays Lydden Temple Ewell

8th

August Lucy Carden

[email protected]

29th

August


Wednesdays Stone Wood, Shadoxhurst (1)

8th


Stone Wood, Shadoxhurst (2)

15th

May

Plant survey (habitat condition assessment – heathland)

Thursdays Hothfield – Heathland (1)

6th

June Ian Rickards

[email protected]

Hothfield – Heathland (2)

13th

June


20th

June


27th

June


4th

July


11th

July


18th

July


25th

July

Plant survey (habitat condition assessment – coastal, fen, wet grassland)

Mondays Sandwich Bay (1) 10th

June Lucy Carden [email protected]

Sandwich Bay (2) 17th

June


June

Sandwich Bay (4) 1st

July


July

Ham Fen (1) 15th

July

Ham Fen (2) 22nd

July

Ham Fen (3) 29th

July

Ham Fen (4) 5th

August

Ham Fen (5) 12th

August

Plant survey (habitat condition assessment – neutral grassland)

Tuesday Bough Beech (1) 25th

June Gareth Cristian

[email protected]

Saturday Bough Beech (2) 29th

June

Tuesday Bough Beech (3) 2nd

July

Plant survey (habitat

condition assessment –

woodland)

Tuesdays Spuckles Wood (1) 23rd

April Lucy Carden [email protected]

Spuckles Wood (2) 30th

April

Monitoring/training type

Location Date Time Contact Email

Bumblebee field practise day (weather dependent)

Faversham Road, near Seasalter

11/04/2019 14:00 – 16:00 Rosie Earwaker

[email protected]

Shellness Road, Leysdown-on-sea

26/04/2019 14:00 – 16:00

Tyland Barn 02/05/2019 14:00 – 16:00

Marine Parade, Sheerness

10/05/2019 10:00 – 12:00


16/05/2019 14:00 – 16:00

Bee Road plant monitoring


24/05/2019 10:00 – 16:00

Shellness Road, leysdown-on-sea

30/0/2019 10:00 – 16:00

Swale Way, Murston 31/05/2019 10:00 - 16:00

Swale Way, Muston 06/06/2019 10:00 – 16:00


07/06/2019 10:00 – 16:00


21/06/2019 10:00 – 16:00


27/06/2019 10:00 – 16:00

Fiery Clearwing survey (am) & bumblebee field practise (pm)


28/06/2019 10:00 – 15:00

Bee Road plant monitoring


04/07/2019 10:00 – 16:00

Swale Way, Murston 05/07/2019 10:00 – 16:00


11/07/2019 10:00 – 16:00


18/07/2019 10:00 – 16:00

Shellness Road, near Seasalter

19/07/2019 10:00 – 16:00

Swale Way, Murston 25/07/2019 10:00 - 16:00


26/07/2019 10:00 – 16:00


08/08/2019 10:00 – 16:00


09/08/2019 10:00 – 16:00

Swale Way, Murston 15/08/2019 10:00 – 16:00


16/08/2019 10:00 – 16:00


22/08/2019 10:00 – 16:00


23/08/2019 10:00 – 16:00


29/08/2019 10:00 – 16:00


30/08/2019 10:00 – 16:00

Project Description Minimum knowledge required

Commitment Group or individual?

Plant survey (Habitat condition assessment)

No previous experience needed or knowledge of plants is required to take part in these botanical fieldwork days. Any skill level is welcome. This is a great way to learn about the diversity and identification of plants, contribute time to carry out the survey and help KWT’s aims, and learn something new.

Novice. Simply come to sessions for ‘on the job’ training, a great way to start volunteering with Ecology Groups.

Come to just one session, or come to them all, the commitment is entirely flexible.

These surveys are a group activity, led by a member of KWT staff.

Orchid counts Take part in counting the various species of Orchids found on the reserves.

No previous experience needed or knowledge is required to take part. ‘On the job training’ is given and this is a great way to start volunteering with Ecology Groups

Regular commitment is not required, you can attend as many or as few times as you want to

The surveys are carried out as group activities led by a member of Kent Wildlife Trust staff.

Water voles Take part in surveying for water voles with experienced staff and volunteers. Water voles are rarely seen so surveys involve looking their filed signs (droppings, burrows, feeding signs).

No previous experience needed or knowledge, training is given at the start of the session

This only takes place on the days listed.

The survey is carried out as group activity led by a member of Kent Wildlife Trust staff.

Day flying moth survey (straw belle)

The surveys are led by experienced volunteers and take place in August. They are carried out on each part of the reserve take between one and two hours during the day.

No previous experience needed or knowledge, training is given at the start of the session.

Training will be given in the first session, after which volunteers carry out the surveys in their own time.

After initial training from an experienced Kent Wildlife Trust volunteer, survey are carried out individually

Bee Roads No previous experience needed or knowledge of bees and plants is required to take part these fieldwork days. Any skill level is welcome. This is a great way to learn about the diversity and identification of plants and bee species.

Novice. Simply come to sessions for ‘on the job’ training. A great way to start learning about the ecology and identification of some of our pollinating species.

This only takes place on the days listed.

These surveys are a group activity, led by a member of KWT staff.

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