In this Somerset Bat Group Newsletter we have:
- Don’t miss the batty talks online soon, with a new start time for Thursdays talk 7:30PM.
- Come along to our annual meeting, and listen to a talk about our grey long-eared project.
- We urgently need a new Secretary of the bat group!
- Can you help with … recent requests to the Bat Group.
- How you can raise money for the bat group, at no cost to you.
- Lots of batty events coming up.
- This email has been sent early, so the latest BCT Bat Group Bulletin is not out yet.
- Welcome our new lifetime members!
- Time for many members to renew their membership.
Lots of Batty talks!
A reminder of these exciting Bat Group talks coming up soon.
7:30PM Thu 27 Feb ’25 – Disco Bats and Glittery Poo
Note new start time. James Shipman will be talking about monitoring the populations of soprano pipistrelles over the last 10+ years in West Berkshire using UV powder.
He may also mention his newly released book – “Identifying bats of Britain and Ireland“
- New start time of 7:30PM
- Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87868366609?pwd=fjBak6gnHbtWVNdas6pubyt450bPDy.1
- Meeting ID: 878 6836 6609
- Passcode: 782253
Surveying bats in woodlands in North Devon and South West Australia
Our thanks to Avon Bat group for inviting our members to this talk by David Hill. The meeting will be online at 7.30 pm on Thursday 6th March 2025.
David’s impressive bio is as follows;
“I have been working with bats in woodlands for about 28 years. Before that I was a primatologist and did most of my research in warm temperate rainforest in Yakushima, an island in Japan. It was during a field trip to Yakushima that I first used a bat detector and became captivated by a whole new world of nocturnal ultrasound. At that time I was a lecturer at the University of Sussex and I got to know bat expert Frank Greenaway, who lived nearby. Frank introduced me to the natural history of British bats and field techniques to study them. Together with Peter Reed we developed the Sussex Autobat acoustic lure to meet the need for an effective method for surveying the highly elusive Bechstein’s bat. Since then I have used Autobats in all of my research and survey work in various countries including the UK, Japan, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand and the U.S.A. In 2010 I left Sussex and returned to Japan to take up a post at Kyoto University. In 2015 I returned to the UK and began my current work as an ecological consultant specialising in surveying woodlands for bats. In addition to projects related to potential impacts of development, I have also surveyed woodlands for conservation purposes for the National Trust, the Woodland Trust and for various private landowners.”
And in case you missed it, a recording of our last talk is now available:
Thu 23 Jan ’25 – Online Talk – Connecting People and Landscapes – Bechstein’s and Bat Care
In the face of climate change, we need landscape-scale changes and evidence-based research to protect our mammal species. Simeon Johnson and Beth Gillie talked about their work on Bechstein’s Bats and Bat Care Records, and how they can help us understand climate change.
BAT GROUP Annual meeting & GLE Talk
We will hold our AGM 2025, in Othery Village Hall, central Somerset. Come along and get involved!
After the meeting, Daniel Hargreaves will be presenting the results of the 2024 grey-long-eared project, and discussing plans for 2025.
- Sat 12th April 2025 @ 2PM
- Othery Village Hall, Fore Street, Othery, Somerset TA7 0QU
- Google Map link – OS map link
Agenda is below, and pre-meeting notes will be published here in early April.
If there is anything you would like to raise at the meeting, or you would like to send your apologies, please email us: somersetbatgroup@gmail.com
We need a new secretary!
We are urgently looking for a new Secretary of the bat group! You can find out all about this important role here.
This role might be suitable for one person, or perhaps a job share. If one person was interested in the social and communication (email/web) side of the role, it could easily be split with another person.
As a bonus, anyone who holds one of the SBG officer posts for a year (or more) automatically becomes a honorary lifetime member of the Bat Group, for free.
If you are interested, please do email us – somersetbatgroup@gmail.com
CAN YOU HELP WITH …?
The bat group receives far more requests for help than the committee can do. Hence please do let us know if you think you could help out with these recent requests: somersetbatgroup@gmail.com
- On Saturday 7th June there is a “Eco Day” taking place in Combe St Nicholas near Chard. They have asked if we would like to run an information stall or an activity, perhaps an evening bat walk.
- Fivehead (between Taunton and Somerton) have asked if we can do a stand at their village fete on 5 July 2025.
Raise free money for the Bat Group
Please consider signing up to easyfundraising so your online shopping at your favourite retailers turns into much-needed funding for us. It’ll take you two minutes to sign up, and will cost you nothing: Click here to join
It really works! The Bat Group has been paid £59.64 this month thanks to our members shopping online! A huge thank you to everyone who already supports us!
2025 Bat group Events
The next events coming up are:
- (new start time 7:30PM) Thu 27Feb – Disco Bats and Glittery Poo online talk
- (new) 6March – Online Talk – Surveying bats in woodlands in North Devon and South West Australia
- 12April – SBG annual meeting and talk about our GLE project
- 4May – Edford Wood Bat Box Checks
- 10May – Great Breach and Ham Wall Bat Box Checks
- 10May – Shepton Beauchamp Big Bat Count
- 11May – Harridge Wood Bat Box Checks
- 16May – Highbridge Big Bat Count
- 17May – East Mendips Bat Box Checks
- 17May – Bridgwater Big Bat Count
- (new) 18May – Levels Bat Box Checks
- Late Spring – First GLE Trapping and radio tracking
Details of how to get involved for all events are on the website: https://somersetbat.group/events/
Bat Group Bulletin
This month’s BCT Bat Group Bulletin includes news on the Government Planning Reform.
Back copies of all past Bat Group Bulletins are on the link below:
WELCOME TO OUR NEW LIFETIME MEMBERS
The group would like to warmly welcome the following members who took out lifetime membership in the last month:
- SBG0038 – Nick
MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL time
The majority of bat group members last paid their membership in the first part of 2024, hence it is now time for most to renew your membership. We will let you know if you need to renew via your bat group newsletter, so please check your inbox (and spam).
It costs just £5 per household to rejoin the bat group (free for students/unwaged), and your renewed membership would then run until our 2026 AGM, on 18th April 2026.
For regular members, you might like to consider taking out lifetime membership, which is just £50 per household.
Please pay your membership subs by BaCs or Paypal. Then:
- If your details have changed, then complete our online membership form to update your information.
- OR, if nothings changed, simply just drop us an email to let us know you have paid.
Full details on our website: https://somersetbat.group/join/