- Four are in the north of the county in a line from Ham Wall, through, Wells and Oakhill to Frome.
- The fifth is in the south of Somerset, in wellington.
Copied below is also the latest information form the Bat Conservation Trust (BCT)
- Can you help with the Bats in Churches Study?
- Survey dates for the NBMP Field Surveys
- NBMP Bat Monitoring Post – June 2019
Thu, 27 Jun, 17:51 (9 days ago)Dear all,We were in touch with you last month about the start of the five year Bats in Churches Project and provided information about the churches involved that are in you bat group’s area. https://batsinchurches.bats.org.uk/
When you select a church you’ll undertake a one-off survey, which will take approximately 2-3 hours to complete. You’ll talk to church representatives, look for evidence of bats in churches, take dropping samples for DNA analysis and put out a static bat detector for a couple of nights.
As this is the first year of the survey we would particularly welcome your feedback and suggestions.
If you need help with the survey, or have any questions about the survey or the Bats in Churches project, please get in touch with Claire Boothby at churches@bats.org.uk.
Kind regards,
Lisa Worledge
Head of Conservation Services
Bat Conservation Trust, Quadrant House, 250 Kennington Lane, London SE11 5RD
Direct line: 020 7820 7176
—————————————————————————-
Sent: Friday, June 28, 2019 1:47:54 PM
To: andy@nettlebridge.com
Subject: This year’s Field Survey is about to begin!The National Bat Monitoring Programme.
The survey periods are:Period 1 – between 1st and 15th July
Period 2 – between 16th and 30th JulyPlease don’t hesitate to contact us at nbmp@bats.org.uk if you have any questions or if you’d prefer to receive a pre-printed survey pack by post.
Thank you very much for your help and we hope you enjoy your surveys!
NBMP Team
Bat Conservation Trust
Email: nbmp@bats.org.uk
Phone: 020 7820 7166
Sent: Friday, June 21, 2019 5:42:25 PM
Subject: Bat Monitoring Post – June 2019Welcome to the June edition of the Bat Monitoring Post!Over the past couple of weeks many parts of the country have endured thunderstorms and torrential rain which can only mean one thing – the Great British Summer is here! We hope all your bat surveys go well this year, whether you are already busy with the Roost Count and Sunset/Sunrise Survey, or are preparing to take part in the Field Survey or Waterway Survey. If you’re not signed up to take part in specific surveys yet, it’s not too late to do so! You can find out more about the different surveys on our website and volunteer for them on your online account. If you need any advice on taking part then please do contact us at nbmp@bats.org.uk.
- NBMP Annual Report
- Bat Tales
- Roost Count
- Preparing for the Field Survey
- Available Survey Sites
- Sunset/Sunrise Survey
- Regional Spotlight
- Winner of the Kate Barlow Award 2019
- Impact of Hedgerow Management on Bats
- The Vincent Weir Scientific Award for Bat Research
- More Dates for your Diary
1. NBMP Annual Report
The NBMP Annual Report has now been published, covering the latest bat species population trends up to 2018. This wouldn’t be possible without all of your amazing efforts, so we would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who contributes data to the NBMP!
To read the full report click here. https://www.bats.org.uk/our-work/national-bat-monitoring-programme/reports/nbmp-annual-report
Bat Tales is our new regular feature! At the BCT head offices we often recite tales of our bat surveys, whether it’s a memorable moment, a funny incident or interesting observations about our local bats. We thought it would be great to hear some of your own stories. Over the coming months we will be asking questions on the NBMP Facebook Group and publishing a selection of the best answers. Look out for our next question in a few weeks’ time.”What’s the most memorable reaction you’ve had from passers by when you’re doing a bat survey?””Whilst doing a dusk survey at a church, a guy kept walking back and forth, he eventually asked a colleague what was going on and had he seen the ghost….me……not everyday you spot a ghost sat in a camping chair in a grave yard.””One time a small group of us were doing a walked transect all carrying bat detectors. A bunch of teenagers were approaching and we wondered how they would react. As they walked past they shouted “Ghostbusters!!”
“The police stopped one evening as I was sat by a roadside surveying, and said they were shocked to see the mannequin moving…they were informed that we were “Dummies” put out by the contractors to add to security!”
“I was sitting using my single red LED to see to write on the survey sheet. A jovial passer by asked what I was doing so I told him I was “(insert town name)’s smallest and most unsuccessful red light district.”
“I knew someone was rough sleeping at the far end of the churchyard. I had the darkest survey spot. I saw someone coming across the grass and I moved towards the dark area so I wouldn’t be seen. He shouted “Don’t worry Miss. I’m Nigel, I sleep down here, and I’ll look out for you till you’re all finished.” Apparently the vicar had warned him so he wouldn’t be frightened of us.”
3. Roost Count
Thank you to everyone who has taken part in the Roost Count so far this year, we hope it has been a successful year for you all and that you’ve managed to get your counts in despite the terrible weather some areas of the country have faced!
The survey is still ongoing and you should aim to carry out your second survey anytime from now until 25th June (for all species other than horseshoe bats) – however counts made up to 29th June can be used for species population trends. Equally the lesser horseshoe core survey period continues until 27th June, but counts up to 1st July can be used for the trends.
If there are any more roosts out there currently going uncounted, or not included as part of the NBMP, then we’re always keen to hear about them. Simply add them to the Roost Count section of your online account or contact us at nbmp@bats.org.uk we can make sure they’re included.
If you take part in the Field Survey then you should have received your survey packs by now, either in the form of an email linking to the online resources or a printed pack in the post. If you are expecting a Field Survey pack and haven’t yet received one then please contact us at nbmp@bats.org.uk. The online versions of the survey materials can be found on your online account.The survey periods are:
- First Survey Period – Between 1st and 15th July
- Second Survey Period – Between 16th and 30th July
Please remember that low or zero counts are just as important as high counts, so please do take part and send in your results no matter how many bats are present at the site you survey.
To brush up on your species ID skills have a go at our species ID quiz.
5. Available Field Survey and Waterway Survey Sites
We have several sites in need of repeat visits which are listed here for the Field Survey and here for the Waterway Survey (lists can be found at the bottom of the page). Please contact us at nbmp@bats.org.uk if you would like to survey any of these sites and we can sign you up. You can download the survey materials from your online account or, if you prefer, we can send you a survey pack in the post closer to the survey period.
If you would like to take part, but there are no suitable sites near you, then let us know and we can send you a list of new sites to choose from.
The Field Survey and Waterway Survey are supported by the generous sponsorship of Wildlife Acoustics.
6. Sunset/Sunrise Survey
The Sunset/Sunrise Survey runs until the end of September. This is a great opportunity to get involved with bat surveying and discover wildlife in your local area. You don’t need any previous experience or special skills to take part, just a healthy dose of enthusiasm! Invite your friends or family and spend an hour looking out for bats in your chosen location, whether it be your garden or a local green space.
If you’re interested, download the Sunset/Sunrise Survey form and instructions from our website and send us your results when you’re done. If you’re lucky enough to find a bat roost, you could then go a step further by taking part in the Roost Count in June, helping us learn even more about bats!
In each edition of the Bat Monitoring Post we look at interesting facts and figures from each region and country in the UK. Here we take another look at the South West.Click here to read the full summary. https://gallery.mailchimp.com/74f9f582daeaaab236cc1ebf0/files/ced5a67a-08f2-4ced-a35c-6122c5561de7/Regional_focus_South_West.pdf
8. Winner of the Kate Barlow Award 2019
The Kate Barlow Award honours the late Dr. Kate Barlow’s contribution to bat conservation. The award aims to encourage postgraduate students to conduct a substantive bat research project.We are very pleased to announce that the third winner of the Kate Barlow Award is Benneth Obitte.
Benneth is using an innovative socio-ecological approach to evaluate the drivers of bat hunting and meat consumption in southern Nigerian localities where intense hunting is reported, particularly of the Egyptian fruit bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus). This species of fruit bat roosts in large numbers within caves and is an easy target for hunters and thus more vulnerable than other bat species. The research will help to shape conservation plans, implement effective conservation education and outreach programs as well as engaging other stakeholders on the importance of cave roost protection.You can read more about Benneth’s award here and you can find out more about Benneth’s work here. https://kingstonlab.org/people/benneth-obitte/
Fascinating new research, led by Jeremy Froidevaux, which investigates the effect of hedgerow management on bat activity and diversity has recently been published.The study, which took place in the south-west of England, measured hedgerow characteristics, insect abundance and bat activity levels at 20 pastoral and mixed farms. The results show that the greater horseshoe bat as well as other non targeted species including the lesser horseshoe and long-eared bats all benefit from a delayed trimming regime. The abundance of insect prey was also enhanced suggesting that untrimmed hedgerows may harbour more prey. Untrimmed hedgerows also had a more prominent and complex structure than those trimmed yearly, meaning they could be better landmarks for commuting and foraging bats.A summary of the study can be found here https://www.bats.org.uk/news/2019/05/impact-of-hedgerow-management-on-bats and you can access the full paper here. https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1365-2664.13412
It’s that time of year again – the Vincent Weir Scientific Award for bat research is now open and taking nominations.The award aims to reward and encourage research on the conservation biology of bats by new researchers, and to recognise the late Hon. Vincent Weir’s major contributions to bat conservation over many years. Details of the award can be found on the BCT website here.You can nominate a candidate for the award by contacting Jessica Taylor (jtaylor@bats.org.uk) with a 300 word justification of your nomination and supplying pdfs of the publications for which they are nominated – but be quick, the deadline for nominations is Friday 28th June.More Dates for your Diary
Events:
- 6 September 2019 – Conservation and Technology Conference. Venue – University of Nottingham, Nottinghamshire. For more details or to book your place click here.
- 6-8 September 2019 – National Bat Conference. Venue – University of Nottingham, Nottinghamshire. For more details or to book your place click here.
- 9 November 2019 – Scottish Bat Worker’s Conference *SAVE THE DATE*. For more information click here or email Liz Ferrell at eferrell@bats.org.uk.
- 29 February 2020 – National Bat Care Conference *SAVE THE DATE*. For more information click here or email Naomi Webster at nwebster@bats.org.uk.
Training Courses:
- Multiple dates – NBMP bat detector workshops. Nationwide. These are designed to train new or inexperienced volunteers to use bat detectors and complete NBMP surveys. Click here for more info.
- 21-23 August 2019 – Advanced Bat Survey Techniques. Over three days and two nights, attendees will be given theoretical and practical experiences of acoustic lures, harp traps, mist nets and radio tracking. Click here for more info.
- 15 October 2019 – Surveying trees for bats. This one day course builds on participants’ existing knowledge and provides an understanding of trees and the techniques needed to survey them effectively. Click here for more info.
- 13 November 2019 – Bearing Witness for Wildlife Training. This one day course is for anyone wanting to improve their skills in recognising and reporting wildlife crime or when acting as a witness. Click here for more info.