Late night bat counting- 2July26

Posted on by somersetbatgroup in Bat News, SBG Events, SBG News, SBG Newsletter


Phew, what a scorcher June was! Lots going on in the bat world in Somerset, read all about it below!

In this June Bat Group Newsletter:

Big Bat Count Updates

June (and July) with their late sunsets, are usually quiet times for public bat events. But this year with so many of the surveys that were planned for May being washed out by the rain (or wind), several ended up being scheduled as late nights in June.

Sat 13th June – Shepton Beauchamp Big Bat Count

On a warm and increasingly still summer night, around 18 people met in Shepton Beauchamp village Hall for a Big Bat Count by Cowleaze Meadow community group. Many thanks to Jeff for organising.

Six teams headed out to survey the village, and a total of 67 bat observations were made across 6 species, slightly up on the previous count in May 2025. Common Pipistrelle and Soprano Pipistrelle being the most frequently observed. There were three observations of Barbastelle, which are a possibility as one was verified at last year’s count.

Initial unverified observations from the night of 13th June 2026 are in iNaturalist:

The recordings made on the night have now been downloaded and initial analysis done. There were a total 236 bat passes recorded across 7 species. The majority being Common Pipistrelle (59%) and Soprano Pipistrelle (22%). Serotine (13%) were also heard frequently. There were a small number of Noctule (4%), and single recordings of Natterer’s, Whiskered and Lesser Noctule (Leisler’s) which will need more verification. Unfortunately, analysis did not find a recording of a Barbastelle this time.

Weds 24th June – Berrow Big Bat Count

After several postponements due to weather we finally did a Big Bat Count in Berrow, and it turned out to be a record breaker:

  • The latest start – of any Big Big Bat Count to date. Sunset doesn’t get much later than 21:32!
  • The hottest ever count – 28°C at the start, dropping to 26°C at the end!

Around 15 people from the Berrow Conservation Group met in Berrow Dunes car park and split into three teams. For whatever reason it was a slow start, with the first bat seen at 10:11PM. This is perhaps due to heat, or maybe the wide open western sky’s? This story continued, with a total of only 15 bat observations made of 2 species. Common Pipistrelle and Noctule. The low number of bats is not due to lack of food, there were insects and moths in abundance. So perhaps the lack of suitable roosts nearby is the limiting factor?

Initial unverified observations from the night of 24th June 2026 are in iNaturalist:

Many thanks to Lesley for organising, and the patience with rescheduling.

The recordings made on the night have now been downloaded and initial analysis done. There were a total 64 bat passes recorded across possibly 4 species. The majority being Common Pipistrelle (51%) and Noctule (45%). There were also single recordings of possible Serotine and Lesser Noctule (Leisler’s) which will need more verification.

Sat 27th June – Heal Rewilding Big Bat Count

Around 18 football refugees met on a warm and still night at Heal Rewilding near Witham Friary. After the briefing, the group split into 4 teams to explore different areas on the farm.

Slightly surprisingly it was a quiet bat night, with the first bats seen well after sunset, almost 10PM. A total of 29 bat observations were made across 5 species, with Common Pipistrelle and Soprano Pipistrelle being the most frequently observed. Along with a couple of Lesser Horseshoes, which roost in the farm buildings.

Initial unverified observations from the night of 27th June 2026 are in iNaturalist:

Many thanks to Katie and Keith for organising, and the help with rescheduling!

The recordings made on the night have now been downloaded and initial analysis done. There were a total 154 bat passes recorded across a possible 5 species. The majority being Common Pipistrelle (81%) and Soprano Pipistrelle (16%). There were two passes of Serotine and Daubenton’s. Then just a single recording of possibly a Nathusius’ Pipistrelle which will need more verification.

Heal Bat Detector workshop

We ran a workshop for members of Heal rewilding, at their base near Witham Friary.

Another successful event saw everyone leave with a working Mini Pipistrelle bat detector, with Heterodyne, Time Expansion and the ability to record in full spectrum via their phones. All for £16!

There are no more planned workshops this year after the SWT ones at Avalon Marshes on 4th July.

However if any groups would like us to run a Bat Detector making workshop for them, then that is very possible. details are on our website:

The next Bat Group Events

There are lots of things planned, so come along and get involved! The next events are:

  • July – NBMP field surveys
  • Sat 4th July – Bat Detector Building Workshop, Levels
  • Fri 10th July – Highbridge Big Bat Count
  • Sat 18th July – Otterhead Lakes Big Bat Count
  • August – NBMP waterways surveys
  • 1st August – Castle Cary Big Bat Count
  • 4th August – Frome2 Big Bat Count
  • 7th August – Blagdon Hill Big Bat Count
  • 8th August – Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Group Big Bat Count
  • 14th August – Drayton Big Bat Count

Details of how to get involved for all events are on the website: https://somersetbat.group/events/

Can you help with…?

The bat group receives far more requests for help than the committee can do. Hence please get in touch if you think you could help out with this recent request:

  • The RSPCA Brent Knoll Animal Centre are holding their biggest fundraiser of the year ,their Sunday Funday and Open Day on Sunday, 13th September 2026. And have asked if anyone from the group could run a bat information stand.

Bat group bulletin

The latest BCT Bat Group Bulletin includes news on the National Bat Conference 2026:

All past editions of the Bulletin can be found on this page of our website:

Membership Renewal time

It’s the time of the year to think about membership of the bat group. There are currently:

  • 58 members who last paid membership in 2025, and their membership lapsed at our annual meeting in April

We will send an email to each member detailing your current membership status, 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 April 2027 annual meeting, on 17th April 2027.

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/