Let me introduce myself
I am a field surveyor based in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds offering wide-ranging ecological services for both private clients and consultancies.
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My MSc dissertation was on skylarks, my BSc on butterflies, but it's been the challenge of gaining a Natural England Class 2 license for bat surveying that has elevated my knowledge to a whole new level.
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The unpredictability of watching quietly in the dark, in unfamiliar locations, and in testing conditions, somehow appeals...
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I have a unique skill set...
My experience of gathering intelligence through surveillance, making spot-decisions, and presenting detailed briefs and reports, fully aligns with the skills needed to be a pragmatic ecologist.
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Conscientious, diligent and reliable, I use my tactical background to deliver an evidence-based approach to ecological surveying, one that incorporates advanced imagery capture techniques and situation awareness strategies.
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On a firing range in Canada
Working as a Close Protection Officer in West Africa
Travel, photography and tea
I love tea, unsocial working hours and photographic equipment (IR and thermal). Working alone is not a problem; being late is not an option and challenging environments are faced with steely confidence (and a brew)!
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I’ve travelled extensively, highlights being the Amazon, western Himalayas, Sahara Desert (Marathon Des Sables competitor), Mount Roraima (Venezuela), central and southern Africa, Aboriginal Country in northern Australia and multiple trips to the Arctic.
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It's a Commando thing
‘Green Lid’ is an endearing term for the Royal Marines beret by those of us who have earned the right to wear one… it also happens to be the top of a garden-waste recycling bin - winner!
I have known Rob for 20 years as mentor, ecological trainer, colleague and friend. Rob is a very competent, experienced ecologist, reliable, hardworking and conscientious with a wide knowledge base. He has brought transferable skills from his previous close protection and military careers to his ecological survey work, resulting in a forensic approach to both surveying and reporting. He has excellent observational, interpretive and technical skills, particularly in the use of infrared and thermal imaging for which he has become specialised.
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Dr Sandie Sowler MCIEEM ( Rtd) FLS, IUCN consultant (SULI)
retired ecological consultant, trainer and author