I’m Sophie Pearce, Geckoella’s Seasonal Ecologist and Ecological Clerk of Works. I joined Geckoella at the start of June after finishing my degree at the University of Plymouth studying BSc Conservation Biology. Since joining, I have enjoyed getting stuck in with a variety of Geckoella’s ecology projects and getting to know the team who have all been extremely welcoming and willing to help with any of my questions as I start out my career in the field of ecology.
My first day at Geckoella involved helping carry out a Preliminary Ecological Assessment (PEA) and Preliminary Roost Assessment (PRA) at a church where we found lots of evidence for bats and a greater horseshoe bat roosting in the basement! During the PEA, I also got to start work on improving my botany skills which is something I hadn’t had much practice at through university due to covid restrictions limiting our fieldwork in the first two years. The team at Geckoella have been amazing at supporting me develop this skill and since joining, I have gained a strong interest in botany through visiting a variety of sites, having team training days dedicated to botany, and preparing for the FISC (Field Identification Skills Certificate) test all the ecologists completed where I managed to achieve a level 3 in plant identification after just 7 weeks at Geckoella.
I have also been involved in lots of protected species surveys including reptile, dormice, and bat emergence and transect surveys since joining and I have also been on a couple of trips away from home for breeding bird surveys. These surveys have been extremely rewarding as they have allowed me to learn a lot through working on a wide variety of projects involving different species. A couple of highlights would have to be checking the reptile mats at one site where we found slow worms under most of our mats and carrying out bat emergence surveys where we have encountered a variety of bat species which has allowed me to improve my bat surveying skills.
As well as the ecology work I have been involved in, I have also taken over a major infrastructure Project after a handover period with Vanessa where she took me to all of the sites and taught me how to write the reports. This project involves working as an Ecological Clerk of Works monitoring ecological compliance which includes checking great crested newt fencing and bat flyways are in good condition as well as more general ecological compliance. This has been a large responsibility to take on so early but it has been made easier by the support of my colleagues who have worked on this project before myself who have been happy to answer my questions, check my reports, and even given me driving lessons in our company truck named Arnie! I am really enjoying taking on this project so far and feel like it will be great to allow me to develop my confidence for carrying out other projects within the field of ecology.
Overall, my first two months at Geckoella have been fantastic and I can’t wait to see what else I will be getting involved with next.
Walking a transect during one of the breeding bird surveys
Slow worms found during one of the reptile surveys
Botany practice on my first day whilst carrying out a PEA in a churchyard
Walk along the beach at Watchet during my induction day at the office
