As autumn hits us with a rather-wet bang, here is a summary of our current workbook. This month CGO Ecology is working for a range of clients in a variety of sectors: road, rail, minerals, forestry and golf to name a few. Diversity is the key to job satisfaction after all.
As the days get shorter, this week in late September sees us pass the point of equal day and night length: the autumnal equinox. The spring and autumn equinoxes are busy times for reptiles in northern latitudes with pronounced seasons. The vernal (spring) equinox sees lots of activity following a long winter hibernation period. Males bask to encourage sperm production, then feed to get into breeding condition. Female emergence usually lags behind by a couple of weeks.
This is an unusual story from the Irish Independent today. Three fishermen off the coast of Co Kerry spent a whole day rescuing a pod of 60 dolphins in danger of beaching.
World Animal Protection
(formerly the World Society for the Protection of Animals) has been in the press in the past week. They published a report revealing the extent of wildlife crime in the UK – from badger baiting, bats and birds being disturbed, to the illegal trade of endangered species. The report includes recommendations for how UK Government could better support the enforcement agencies working to tackle these crimes.
As the Marine Conservation Society says on its website, August is the peak month for leatherback turtle sightings in British and Irish waters. This world-travelling ocean giant is now widely regarded as a true native of these waters, given that it comes here deliberately to feed on jellyfish.
Here's what our Ecologist Sam Mardell from Norfolk says about his time with us this spring and summer:
"As my time with CGO Ecology comes to a close, I thought I would write a few paragraphs about my experiences over the last few months...
We currently have five seasonal Ecologists working for CGO Ecology. Here's what some of them had to say about their job.
Ian Bradley from Northumberland said of his time with CGO Ecology:
Environmental sustainability is central to CGO Ecology's business ethic and our Environmental and Social Responsibility Policy outlines the steps we take to ensure our practices are sustainable. One of these steps is to calculate our annual carbon footprint and to offset it through appropriate projects.
Hello, my name is Noel Bergin, and I am the new Senior Ecologist at CGO Ecology. Since starting in May, I have been working on GCN and bat mitigation work, but also at a number of railway sites, capturing and translocating reptiles.
It's very important to us that our employees find their work enjoyable and fulfilling, so we ask for staff feedback on a regular basis, and we will publish it here on the website. The first person to tell us how her first month with CGO Ecology has gone is Colette Gibson from Camarthen, who has been working as a seasonal ecologist on GCN projects in Cheshire and Shropshire.