I’m Josh Butterworth, a Senior Ecologist at Geckoella. I joined Geckoella in 2018 while completing an MSc in Climate Change Science & Policy at the University of Bristol.
My main interest is in botanical survey. Earlier this year I provided a series of botanical training sessions to the team to help them prepare for a Field Identification Skills Certificate (FISC) test that we completed in July. This involved visiting some really interesting sites across Somerset, including Brean Down SSSI, Catsford and Wall Common and others.
Other than botanical survey I am also involved in the survey and analysis of protected/ notable species, from bats and hazel dormouse, for which I hold Level 2 and Level 1 Survey Class Licences, respectively, to otter, water vole and many more. I regularly work with advanced survey techniques for bats, from helping out with trapping surveys to leading thermal imaging surveys.
As an ecologist working at Geckoella, day-to-day responsibilities are dynamic and may be full days of fieldwork, or data crunching, reporting and managing projects from the desk. Recently, we were undertaking extensive surveys of heathland and mire communities across Dunkery Beacon, Exmoor. This brought in both elements, long days out in the field surveying exciting habitats, to days in the laboratory identifying bryophytes under the microscope.
Joshua Bat Surveying
Joshua IDg plants at Catsford Common
Joshua Leading the Plant ID day at Stolford
