About E³ Ecology Ltd Personnel

ROSS AHMED BA

POSITION: Ornithologist (Dragonflies and butterflies)

PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

• BA Geography (Newcastle)

CAREER PROFILE

Ross is a very skilled field ornithologist and has worked as a warden on the Farne Islands, and as a National Trust volunteer at South Shields Leas and Souter lighthouse, including surveys of breeding skylarks and seabirds, and as a Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust volunteer at WWT Washington.

Ross has worked as Assistant County Recorder for Durham bird group and remains on the Records Sub-committee. In 1998 he was runner up national Young Ornithologist of the year.

He has undertaken a variety of surveys including WeBS, Beached Bird Survey and BTO winter warbler survey and published a number of papers in the ornithological press.

He is currently undertaking work for both the British Birds Rarities Committee and Slender-billed Curlew Group.

Recent work has included numerous bird surveys including vantage point surveys for potential windfarms and powerlines, breeding bird and wintering bird surveys.

He has produced a mapping assessment for bird sensitive areas for 6 local authorities in the north east.

SOME RELEVANT PROJECTS UNDERTAKEN

• Assessment of potential ornithological impacts and production of Environmental Statements for over 20 windfarm sites throughout England and Scotland, including potential impacts on several SPAs and a number of Annex 1 and Schedule 1 species.
• Mapping of sensitive bird areas in relation to SPAs and windfarm developments in north east England.
• Survey and assessment of the potential ornithological impacts of several opencast coal sites in Southern Scotland on an adjacent SPA.
• Survey and assessment of the potential impacts of a number of both active and proposed quarry sites in Scotland and the north of England on breeding and non-breeding bird populations.
• Survey and assessment of the potential ornithological impacts of a proposed 20km powerline on the Isle of Lewis, including impacts on an SPA, an ornithological SSSI and several Annex 1 and Schedule 1 species.
• Design of several habitat creation schemes for upland bird populations in northern England and southern Scotland.

PARTICULAR EXPERIENCE AND SPECIALISATION

• All aspects of Ornithology
• Wind farm and power line survey
• Reptile surveys