Specialisms

Daniel's principal specialisms are Ecological/Environmental Clerk of Works (ECoW); the classification of habitats both to Fossitt (2000) categories and identification of EU Annex I habitats; bat ecology; and in avifauna species identification, particularly in relation to Ireland's passerines, raptors, seabirds, waders, and waterfowl.

Bats

Daniel is a trained bat ecologist, including internal and external building roost inspection, tree roost identification and inspection training, and endoscope training. He has prepared derogation licences for bat species and for bat roosts, and overseen the discharge of licence obligations.

He has conducted bat surveys for large infrastructure projects within Ireland, as well as targeted species-specific and protect species surveys on behalf of private clients and ENGOs; from AA, NIS, EcIA, and EIAR ecology reports for construction, infrastructure, forestry, solar, and wind farm projects, to conservation initiatives for national wildlife groups and individual clients.

Daniel has also volunteered with Bat Conservation Ireland (BCI) and the Vincent Wildlife Trust (VWT), respectively, on a variety of Bat conservation initiatives, and has advised clients, local ENGOs and Citizen Scientists on Bat surveying techniques, Bat Box Schemes, and mitigation measures.

Birds

Daniel has carried out numerous large-scale avifauna projects across Ireland, including infrastructure projects for national roads, wind farms, and solar farms. 

He is experienced in avifauna species identification and classification and has routinely undertaken wintering, breeding, and passage bird surveys to inform impact assessments for numerous development types.

Daniel has both surveyor and project manager experience in a range of different bird survey types including breeding bird surveys (including raptors), vantage point (VP) surveys (including Hen Harrier breeding/roosting surveys), wintering bird surveys, and targeted species surveys.

Ecological Clerk of Works (ECoW)

Daniel has invaluable construction site experience and has worked both full-time as an Ecological Clerk of Works (ECoW) and/or as a 'specialist-on-request' providing advice on protected species to clients and contractors while onsite at infrastructure projects, across all project phases (from feasibility, constraints and options selection, through design, evaluation and statutory process, to construction and implementation), for over seven years.

Through which, he has developed an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the intricacies, complexities and multidisciplinary nature of designing, assessing and mitigating the impacts of infrastructure projects on biodiversity.

Daniel is a Full member of The Association of Environmental Clerk of Works (AEnvCoW) in Ireland.