About Ben

Ben Small

Assistant Ecologist

Ben is an Assistant Ecologist with 1.5 years industry experience. He joined the Ecology Co-op as a subcontractor in May 2022 to assist in bat emergence surveys and video analysis, before joining on full-time in October of the same year. Prior to this his interests have been focused on studying birds, completing research with the Universities of Exeter and Leicester on species in Australia, Honduras and Kenya, as well as working with the Hawk Conservancy Trust as a transect volunteer monitoring UK raptor populations. Since joining the ecology sector this interest has expanded to include bats, botany and amphibians.

Ben has managed projects concerning bats, reptiles and badgers, with additional assisting on wintering bird, great crested newts and botany surveys. He has additionally completed several projects requiring Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) for landowners and homeowners.

Outside of work Ben enjoys travelling, playing sports such as badminton and volleyball, and listening to his varied taste in music.

Experience to Date:

  • Managing projects covering bat scoping and emergence surveys, ecological appraisals, reptile presence/absence surveys and badger mitigation

  • Analysing bat acoustic data in Kaleidoscope and video cameras recordings of bat surveys

  • Mapping sites in QGIS and running BNG calculations

  • Survey experience for bats, wintering birds, reptiles, great crested newts, water voles and badgers

  • Various report writing covering preliminary appraisals, secondary surveys, biodiversity enhancement reports and bird hazard management plans

Contact Ben

ben@ecologyco-op.co.uk