BatChat: Recent Episodes
Bat Conservation Trust
Stories from the bat conservation movement. Trustee and ecologist Steve Roe talks to the experts as well as local heroes to bring you the stories from the world of bat conservation. This podcast is for anyone who loves bats or has an interest in bat conservation and the wider bat conservation community. Series 3 is out now with episodes released every second Wednesday from autumn 2021 through to Spring 2022. Series 4 is coming later this year. Bats are magical but misunderstood mammals. At the Bat Conservation Trust we have a vision of a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together.
In this final episode of Series 7 of BatChat, we go out on a unique paddling journey along the River Great Ouse with the Bedfordshire Bat Group and the Viking Kayak Club. Bob Cornes from the bat group explains how the survey came about and as we embrace the peacefulness of the river we discuss bat behaviours in their environments. The episode showcases community-driven conservation efforts, emphasising the significance of grassroots initiatives in bat conservation.
As well as recording various people taking part in the survey, your host Steve Roe has two bat detectors strapped to the front of his kayak; one tuned to 20kHz and another at 50kHz to record the sounds of the bats around us.
See what the Bedfordshire Bat Group are up to.
Viking Kayak Club
Find your local bat group
Use our voicemail feature to send us a recording so that we can share your bat experience in the next series. It could be the sound of your bat detector or simply a narration of what you’re watching.
We’ll be back with series 8 in the autumn of 2026.
This week it’s the world famous RHS Chelsea Flower show and for the first time ever, the Bat Conservation Trust have a show garden there. The nocturnal garden demonstrates how you can create a beautiful, wildlife-friendly garden that supports bats and other nocturnal species. Discover our tips on how to garden for bats and keep an eye out for the nocturnal garden on the BBC coverage all this week.
Support the show
Please leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
S7E76 In this episode of BatChat, we explore bat conservation with experts Megan Price and Beth from Margam Park in South Wales. They share insights on the park's rich biodiversity, highlighting the fourteen bat species present and the importance of managing roosts while balancing conservation efforts with public access.
Watch a short video of the bats at Margam Park
A short article on the bats of Margam
In the second half of the episode Dr. Briony Hughes from Royal Holloway University introduces her creative approach to conservation through eco-poetry, emphasising the role of public engagement and education in fostering appreciation for bats. The episode showcases the collaborative efforts of ecologists and creatives to enhance understanding and protect these essential species.
This week it’s the world famous RHS Chelsea Flower show and for the first time ever, the Bat Conservation Trust have a show garden there. The nocturnal garden demonstrates how you can create a beautiful, wildlife-friendly garden that supports bats and other nocturnal species. Discover our tips on how to garden for bats and keep an eye out for the nocturnal garden on the BBC coverage all this week.
Support the show
Please leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
In this episode, we chat with Emeritus Professor Paul Racey, one of the best-known figures in bat ecology and conservation. Paul talks about how his interest in bats began when he was at school, watching dusk fall and becoming curious about the animals that emerge after dark. He shares how early teachers, university life, and time in the field helped shape what became a lifelong career.
We look back over Paul’s many years of work, including his role in helping to establish the Bat Conservation Trust. He reflects on how bat conservation has changed, why public interest and understanding really matter, and the moments that shifted the field forward—particularly the arrival of full-spectrum bat detectors.
Paul also discusses some of his key research, from discoveries about bat breeding to the work of his students, and why mentoring the next generation has always been so important to him. The conversation touches on his work afield too, covering his research in Madagascar, where working closely with local scientists led to the discovery of a new bat species Pipistrellus raceyi.
Listen to our episode with Sue Swift here.
Listen to our episode with Jon Russ here.
Take a look at Pipistrellus raceyi.
This week it’s the world famous RHS Chelsea Flower show and for the first time ever, the Bat Conservation Trust have a show garden there. The nocturnal garden demonstrates how you can create a beautiful, wildlife-friendly garden that supports bats and other nocturnal species. Discover our tips on how to garden for bats and keep an eye out for the nocturnal garden on the BBC coverage all this week.
Support the show
Please leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
In this episode of BatChat, we explore the significant roost of greater horseshoe bats on the National Trust's Stackpole estate in Pembrokeshire, Wales. With insights from conservationists Maggie Andrews and Paul Culyer, we discuss the site’s impressive growth from 200 bats in 1994 to over a thousand today. Paul recounts the early discovery of the maternity roost, while Maggie shares her late husband's innovative work with bat detectors that has contributed to over three decades of data. We delve into the bats' unique behaviors, vocalizations, and the impacts of climate change on their lifecycle. The episode concludes with a celebration of bat conservation efforts and the strong community bonds formed through this important work.
This week it’s the world famous RHS Chelsea Flower show and for the first time ever, the Bat Conservation Trust have a show garden there. The nocturnal garden demonstrates how you can create a beautiful, wildlife-friendly garden that supports bats and other nocturnal species. Discover our tips on how to garden for bats and keep an eye out for the nocturnal garden on the BBC coverage all this week.
Support the show
Please leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
Steve Page from the Hampshire Bat Group is the custodian of Andrew Watson's Holgate Bat Detector, one of the first commercially available bat detectors which was developed in the 1960s. Steve built his own bat detector which kick-started his journey into bat conservation, joining the Hampshire Bat Group which led him to discovering the Holgate Detector. He's currently working to get it restored to a fully working condition and we join him in his workshop as he talks us through the components.
This week it’s the world famous RHS Chelsea Flower show and for the first time ever, the Bat Conservation Trust have a show garden there. The nocturnal garden demonstrates how you can create a beautiful, wildlife-friendly garden that supports bats and other nocturnal species. Discover our tips on how to garden for bats and keep an eye out for the nocturnal garden on the BBC coverage all this week.
Support the show
Please leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
This week we visit Tattershall Church. As we’ll hear in this episode, Holy Trinity is a very important place for bats, with two maternity roosts present along with a number of other species. The site has been part of the National Bat Monitoring Programme for many years.
The church is a great example of co-existence with a large number of bats and the church community have built great relationships with Lincolnshire Bat Group and they use bats as a unique selling point to engage visitors. The congregation hold bat-themed events throughout the season and have even created merchandise featuring their ‘Tatty Bat’ mascot. However, cleaning has been a constant challenge.
In this episode we hear how the Bats in Churches (BiC) project supported the church to help alleviate the challenges that bats were causing and we also speak to artist Ilene Sterns whose artwork On a Wing and a Prayer was exhibited inside Holy Trinity as part of the BiC project.
This week it’s the world famous RHS Chelsea Flower show and for the first time ever, the Bat Conservation Trust have a show garden there. The nocturnal garden demonstrates how you can create a beautiful, wildlife-friendly garden that supports bats and other nocturnal species. Discover our tips on how to garden for bats and keep an eye out for the nocturnal garden on the BBC coverage all this week.
Support the show
Please leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
This week we sit down with Edward Wells from the Somerset Bat Group and talk about bats in the county and the work being done to protect them. Edward’s interest in bats started when he was a child and has seen the bat group turn 40 with years of hands-on conservation. We discuss the county’s varied landscapes, how bat conservation has changed over the years, and some of the Somerset Bat Group’s key successes. Edward also reflects on how new technology has shaped bat research, shares examples of projects driven by local volunteers, and explains why the involvement of both amateurs and professionals still matters. Above all, he talks about working together and why there’s reason to be hopeful about the future of bats.
Hear more from Somerset Bat Group with the two previous episodes:
Frome after Dark; A Town on the Hunt for Bats
An Evening with Somerset's Rarest Bat
This week it’s the world famous RHS Chelsea Flower show and for the first time ever, the Bat Conservation Trust have a show garden there. The nocturnal garden demonstrates how you can create a beautiful, wildlife-friendly garden that supports bats and other nocturnal species. Discover our tips on how to garden for bats and keep an eye out for the nocturnal garden on the BBC coverage all this week.
Support the show
Please leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
North of Settle in the Yorkshire Dales lies the Hoffman Kiln, a relic of the industrial revolution. It's now an important site for bats of the Dales all year round. In this episode we chat to Dave Anderson and Dave Fisher who on Friday afternoons, in a term they've coined as Fieldwork Fridays, they spend 90 minutes surveying the kiln for bats. And they've racked up an impressive collection of data in studying bat behaviour such as crevice fidelity. We also address the challenge of balancing public interest with conservation efforts, emphasising the importance of educating visitors about the bats’ presence.
Follow Dave Anderson on Instagram
Follow Dave Fisher on Instagram
Discover more about the Hoffman Kiln
This week it’s the world famous RHS Chelsea Flower show and for the first time ever, the Bat Conservation Trust have a show garden there. The nocturnal garden demonstrates how you can create a beautiful, wildlife-friendly garden that supports bats and other nocturnal species. Discover our tips on how to garden for bats and keep an eye out for the nocturnal garden on the BBC coverage all this week.
Support the show
Please leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
In this episode of BatChat, we explore the 50-year history of the Vincent Wildlife Trust (VWT) and its vital role in bat conservation. I speak with CEO Lucy Rogers about her role with VWT, the organisation's founding by the Hon. Vincent Weir and its ongoing efforts to protect our rarest bat populations here in the UK. With Jenny O'Neil and Phil Morgan we discuss the importance of community involvement, collaboration with local bat groups, and the strategic initiatives that VWT is implementing to enhance bat habitats. This conversation reflects on past achievements while addressing current environmental challenges, emphasizing the commitment required to ensure that bat populations thrive for future generations.
Impact Report & LHS Conservation Handbook are here
Fancy volunteering for VWT? Find out how here
Read their latest news
Sign up for the VWT Newsletter to receive newsletters with information and updates on the Trust’s work
Current projects such as Horseshoe's Heading East & Natur am Byth!
This week it’s the world famous RHS Chelsea Flower show and for the first time ever, the Bat Conservation Trust have a show garden there. The nocturnal garden demonstrates how you can create a beautiful, wildlife-friendly garden that supports bats and other nocturnal species. Discover our tips on how to garden for bats and keep an eye out for the nocturnal garden on the BBC coverage all this week.
Support the show
Please leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
S7E68 We're back with a brand new series and we're starting this exciting new collection of interviews with our President, Chris Packham. We last heard from Chris five years ago back in Episode 14 but this time Steve met the Springwatch presenter at the Natural History Museum.
We discuss the new location of this year's Springwatch (and the amazing footage of the soprano pipistrelles at Haddon Hall) and what is needed to fix our National Parks.
Chris also gives the latest update on his papercuts artwork and when you can get your hands on his new brown long-eared bat design.
The catalyst for arranging this interview was the Planning & Infrastructure Bill which the government is putting through the political processes. This new legislation has the potential to be disastrous for bat conservation here in the UK and you'll hear why the nature conservation organisations need to unite right now.
As you'll hear Chris thinks we should treat our membership of wildlife organisation as an investment for our natural world. If you'd like to see your membership fees well-invested, become a member of the Bat Conservation Trust to support the amazing amount of work we undertake. Discover our work here.
Our dedicated webpages on the Planning & Infrastructure Bill are here along with our Position Statement.
🎧 New to BatChat? We release episodes every other Wednesday, so hit subscribe or follow and join us for more fascinating bat stories!
This week it’s the world famous RHS Chelsea Flower show and for the first time ever, the Bat Conservation Trust have a show garden there. The nocturnal garden demonstrates how you can create a beautiful, wildlife-friendly garden that supports bats and other nocturnal species. Discover our tips on how to garden for bats and keep an eye out for the nocturnal garden on the BBC coverage all this week.
Support the show
Please leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
We introduce our upcoming series, BatChat, premiering on November 5th. The series will explore the intriguing world of bats while also highlighting wildlife conservation and the amazing people working to conserve them. We conduct field interviews with bat conservationists to gain insights into their efforts and the challenges they face. In this series we'll be speaking to our President Chris Packham, bat workers studying a historical lime kiln in the Yorkshire Dales, an organisation which cares for some of the country's most important roosts and we will also visit a roost in Pembrokeshire which has shed light on how bat pups communicate with their mums. Tune in every other Wednesday to uncover the stories of bats and the individuals dedicated to protecting our natural world.
This week it’s the world famous RHS Chelsea Flower show and for the first time ever, the Bat Conservation Trust have a show garden there. The nocturnal garden demonstrates how you can create a beautiful, wildlife-friendly garden that supports bats and other nocturnal species. Discover our tips on how to garden for bats and keep an eye out for the nocturnal garden on the BBC coverage all this week.
Support the show
Please leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
We’ve hit a milestone - and it’s all thanks to you! In this special bonus episode, host Steve Roetakes you behind the scenes of BatChat: from the podcast’s beginnings in 2018 to the present day. Discover how the show came to be created, what goes into producing each episode, and enjoy a previously unreleased gem from one of our most loved guests: Dr Bob Stebbings.
What’s Inside:
- The origin story: How a passion for bats (and a well-timed compliment about a “Radio 4 voice”) sparked the idea for BatChat.
- What really goes into making each episode—from research and interviews to editing and promotion.
- Some behind-the-scenes mishaps and moments that didn’t make the cut.😅
- From the Vaults: Never-before-heard audio from our 2022 interview with Dr Bob Stebbings.
- A huge thank you to our listeners and an update about Series 7.
Links and Mentions:
- Listen back to our episode with Dr Bob Stebbings (S4E43)
- Logo designed by Rachel Hudson
- Leave us a review - here's how
- 💝 Want to support the show?
Thanks for being part of the BatChat community.
This week it’s the world famous RHS Chelsea Flower show and for the first time ever, the Bat Conservation Trust have a show garden there. The nocturnal garden demonstrates how you can create a beautiful, wildlife-friendly garden that supports bats and other nocturnal species. Discover our tips on how to garden for bats and keep an eye out for the nocturnal garden on the BBC coverage all this week.
Support the show
Please leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
S6E66 In this episode, we're in the charming market town of Frome in Somerset, where the locals take part in a hands-on citizen science event. Armed with bat detectors, participants are sent out around town to record any bats they spot.
What makes this event even more exciting is the use of iNaturalist – a popular platform that collects and shares real-time wildlife data. As participants venture out at dusk, their bat sightings are immediately transmitted to the town hall chambers, where the community can track the results live on a big screen. By the end of the night, everyone reconvenes to see the collective findings and marvel at the variety of bats that call Frome home.
See the results from the evening for yourself
Upcoming big bat counts
Interested in taking part?
This week it’s the world famous RHS Chelsea Flower show and for the first time ever, the Bat Conservation Trust have a show garden there. The nocturnal garden demonstrates how you can create a beautiful, wildlife-friendly garden that supports bats and other nocturnal species. Discover our tips on how to garden for bats and keep an eye out for the nocturnal garden on the BBC coverage all this week.
Support the show
Please leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
S6E65 In this noisy episode, we’re taking you to the heart of the Restore Nature Now march in Central London, where 60,000+ passionate individuals gathered on June 22nd 2024, to demand stronger action for nature. The Bat Conservation Trust formed part of the march in the 'air' block which started adjacent to Hyde Park where Biggles the bat flew high above the crowds. Steve speaks to people as the march progresses to Downing Street and onto Parliament Square to find out what caused them to travel to London for the day.
Restore Nature Now website
Biggles the Bat's Instagram Account
BCT's page on the march
This week it’s the world famous RHS Chelsea Flower show and for the first time ever, the Bat Conservation Trust have a show garden there. The nocturnal garden demonstrates how you can create a beautiful, wildlife-friendly garden that supports bats and other nocturnal species. Discover our tips on how to garden for bats and keep an eye out for the nocturnal garden on the BBC coverage all this week.
Support the show
Please leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
S6E64 In this episode of BatChat, we’re shining a spotlight on NightWatch, a groundbreaking community science project from the Bat Conservation Trust. Launched in 2021, NightWatch is the only initiative of its kind in the UK, helping people uncover the hidden world of nighttime wildlife while breaking down barriers that prevent communities from connecting with nature.
Join host Steve Roe as he chats with Siobhan Dempsey at the Restore Nature Now march, where they discuss how NightWatch is making bat surveys more accessible—particularly for people from minority ethnic backgrounds, lower-income communities, and those with disabilities. With thousands of bat echolocation calls recorded across 750+ sites, and over 2,000 people engaged so far, this project is transforming urban conservation.
But to keep NightWatch running, we need your help! We must raise £14,000 by June 2025 to ensure more people can discover the wonders of bats in their neighborhoods.
🔗 Find out more about NightWatch and how you can support it here: https://www.bats.org.uk/news/2025/02/save-nightwatch-urban-bats-communities
🦇 Warwickshire Bat Group Take a look at their website for upcoming events.
🦇 Find your local bat group
🎧 New to BatChat? We release episodes every other Wednesday, so hit subscribe and join us for more fascinating bat stories!
This week it’s the world famous RHS Chelsea Flower show and for the first time ever, the Bat Conservation Trust have a show garden there. The nocturnal garden demonstrates how you can create a beautiful, wildlife-friendly garden that supports bats and other nocturnal species. Discover our tips on how to garden for bats and keep an eye out for the nocturnal garden on the BBC coverage all this week.
Support the show
Please leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
S6E63 Climate change is shifting the landscape—literally. But what does that mean for wildlife, especially bats? This episode takes us into the Connecting People and Landscapes in a Changing Climate project, a hands-on effort bringing farmers, landowners, and communities together across the South-West to make the countryside work for both people and nature.
Thanks to support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the project is digging into how nature-friendly farming can help wildlife survive and thrive. We’re talking to the people on the ground—farmers, conservationists, and locals—who are teaming up to survey wildlife, engage communities, and figure out what really works.
🎧 Hit play and join the conversation.
The project website is here
This week it’s the world famous RHS Chelsea Flower show and for the first time ever, the Bat Conservation Trust have a show garden there. The nocturnal garden demonstrates how you can create a beautiful, wildlife-friendly garden that supports bats and other nocturnal species. Discover our tips on how to garden for bats and keep an eye out for the nocturnal garden on the BBC coverage all this week.
Support the show
Please leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
S6E62
🌙 The Bat Night MarketImagine a world without bats. Ever heard of a market that comes alive at night—just like bats? We visit the Bat Night Market, an immersive event blending art, science, and nature. Inspired by bats and nocturnal life, this market offers a unique experience like no other. Find out more about what’s in store!
🔗 More about the Bat Night Market
🦇 Nene Valley Bat Group UpdateJuliette Butter joins us to share the latest updates from Nene Valley Bat Group. From survey results to conservation projects, hear what’s happening in this bat-rich landscape and how the group is making a difference.
🚨 Breaking News: A Rare Bat Discovery in the UK!Hot off the press—conservationists have discovered one of the UK’s rarest bats in an unexpected location! What does this mean for bat conservation in Britain? Hear from one of the team who made this groundbreaking find.
🔗 Read more on the Bat Conservation Trust’s website
🔗 Claire's lucky bat socks are from Bare Kind
🎧 Tune in now to stay up to date with the latest in the world of bats!
📢 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review BatChat to help more people discover the world of bat conservation.
This week it’s the world famous RHS Chelsea Flower show and for the first time ever, the Bat Conservation Trust have a show garden there. The nocturnal garden demonstrates how you can create a beautiful, wildlife-friendly garden that supports bats and other nocturnal species. Discover our tips on how to garden for bats and keep an eye out for the nocturnal garden on the BBC coverage all this week.
Support the show
Please leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
S6E61 Recorded in the winter of 2024, in this episode we travel to the Northumberland coastline to a National Trust property called Seaton Delaval Hall. We’re there because this property is home to the UK’s largest-known pipistrelle bat hibernation roost. For many years we haven’t really known where pipistrelle bats go to hibernate. Traditional hibernation surveys in underground structures rarely turn up pipistrelles and when they do they’re in very small numbers. Our guest this week, Tina Wiffen, discovered this roost shortly after the National Trust took over the care of Seaton Delaval in 2009 and since then has been doing some detective work to help us understand where we might need to go looking ourselves.
- Tina's articles in British Island Bats are on pages 20 and 30 of volume four.
- Original news article from the BCT website when a large winter count occured.
- Fancy taking part in a hibernation survey? Find your local bat group here.
This week it’s the world famous RHS Chelsea Flower show and for the first time ever, the Bat Conservation Trust have a show garden there. The nocturnal garden demonstrates how you can create a beautiful, wildlife-friendly garden that supports bats and other nocturnal species. Discover our tips on how to garden for bats and keep an eye out for the nocturnal garden on the BBC coverage all this week.
Support the show
Please leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
S6E60. In this episode, we venture into the ancient Pengelli Forest in Pembrokeshire to uncover the story behind one of the region's most remarkable bat discoveries. Back in 2000, Margaret Clarke discovered presence of barbastelle bats, a species known for its elusive nature.
Joined by Margaret Clarke and Den Vaughn, we revisit the discovery that changed our understanding of bats in Pembrokeshire and discuss how barbastelles have fared in the region since then.
From the fascinating history of Margaret’s discovery to the ongoing efforts to understand these mysterious creatures, this episode reminds us of how far we've come in the last quarter of a century.
- The barbastelle bat PhD that Den mentions is here.
- Find out about Pengelli Forest NNR
- Natur am Byth
This week it’s the world famous RHS Chelsea Flower show and for the first time ever, the Bat Conservation Trust have a show garden there. The nocturnal garden demonstrates how you can create a beautiful, wildlife-friendly garden that supports bats and other nocturnal species. Discover our tips on how to garden for bats and keep an eye out for the nocturnal garden on the BBC coverage all this week.
Support the show
Please leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
S6E59 This week, we’re diving into an evening adventure at the stunning Tintinhull Gardens in Somerset, owned by the National Trust. Joining the Somerset Bat Group, we’re on the hunt for one of the UK’s rarest bats – the elusive grey long-eared bat.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
🦇 What makes the grey long-eared bat so rare and fascinating
🦇 The Somerset Bat Group’s efforts to discover more about this species within the County
🦇 A behind-the-scenes look at their bat survey in the beautiful gardens of Tintinhull
🦇 Insights into the habitat and behaviors of this secretive bat
Whether you’re a seasoned bat enthusiast or just curious about the creatures of the night, this episode is packed with discovery, conservation passion, and the magic of Somerset’s wildlife.
Links and Resources:
- Learn more about the Somerset Bat Group here and find the results of the GLE project here
- Find out about Tintinhull Gardens here
- Learn about grey long-eared bats here
Follow us to stay updated on all things bats! Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share the episode with fellow nature lovers.
This week it’s the world famous RHS Chelsea Flower show and for the first time ever, the Bat Conservation Trust have a show garden there. The nocturnal garden demonstrates how you can create a beautiful, wildlife-friendly garden that supports bats and other nocturnal species. Discover our tips on how to garden for bats and keep an eye out for the nocturnal garden on the BBC coverage all this week.
Support the show
Please leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
S6Ep58 In this episode of BatChat, Steve sits down with Phil Atkin, the creator of a groundbreaking bat detector that’s making waves in the bat conservation community. Using the Raspberry Pi Pico computer, Phil has designed a cost-effective way for people to build their own bat detectors—for just £15!
Join us as we delve into:
🦇 How Phil’s love for bats sparked his innovative journey.
💻 The tech behind the Raspberry Pi Pico bat detector.
💡 Why affordable bat detectors are a game-changer for citizen science.
🌍 How this innovation is advancing the field of bat conservation.
Whether you're a seasoned bat enthusiast or just curious about how technology can support wildlife conservation, this episode offers a fascinating glimpse into the intersection of tech and nature.
🔗 Resources and Links:
- Learn how to build your own Raspberry Pi Pico bat detector.
- Find out more about Phil Atkin’s work and projects.
- Prefer to buy one ready made? Find them here.
- Explore how to get involved in bat conservation.
Don’t miss this inspiring conversation with a true innovator!
This week it’s the world famous RHS Chelsea Flower show and for the first time ever, the Bat Conservation Trust have a show garden there. The nocturnal garden demonstrates how you can create a beautiful, wildlife-friendly garden that supports bats and other nocturnal species. Discover our tips on how to garden for bats and keep an eye out for the nocturnal garden on the BBC coverage all this week.
Support the show
Please leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
Step into the nocturnal world of the Knapp and Papermill Reserve with the Worcestershire Bat Group! In this immersive field recording, join us for a unique bat walk through the varied habitats of this Worcestershire Wildlife Trust Nature Reserve.
This episode captures a real-time adventure as we explore the reserve at night, listening in on bat detectors and identifying an impressive array of bat species, including common and soprano pipistrelles, Daubenton's, noctule, barbastelle, serotine, and a lesser horseshoe bat roost hidden within the old papermill building.
Along the way, we chat with dedicated members of the Worcestershire Bat Group, uncovering their stories on how they got involved with bat conservation and learning about the essential work they do to protect these fascinating creatures. Through their insights, you’ll get a glimpse into the group's efforts, from habitat preservation to public engagement.
Tune in to experience the thrill of bat detection firsthand and discover the diversity of life that comes alive at night in one of Worcestershire’s most treasured reserves!
The Knapp and Papermill Nature Reserve
Worcestershire Bat Group
Discover more about bat detectors
This week it’s the world famous RHS Chelsea Flower show and for the first time ever, the Bat Conservation Trust have a show garden there. The nocturnal garden demonstrates how you can create a beautiful, wildlife-friendly garden that supports bats and other nocturnal species. Discover our tips on how to garden for bats and keep an eye out for the nocturnal garden on the BBC coverage all this week.
Support the show
Please leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
S6E56 We’re back with a brand new series! At the 2024 National Bat Conference at the University of Reading, zoologist and wildlife TV presenter Megan McCubbin joined us to chair a thought-provoking debate on ethical conservation. In between sessions, Megan sat down with Steve to chat about her career, her encounters with bats, and her involvement in the Restore Nature Now march earlier this summer.
Plus, we’ll bring you a couple of key updates from regional bat conservation activities over the summer. Then, back to Megan, who shares a conversation with Shirley Thompson, editor of Young Batworker magazine, on the critical role of the next generation in bat conservation. Tune in for these insights and more!
8 out of 10 bats
Toilet block shock as lesser horseshoe found in Derbyshire
Wiltshire Wildlife Trust Bechstein's fundraising
This week it’s the world famous RHS Chelsea Flower show and for the first time ever, the Bat Conservation Trust have a show garden there. The nocturnal garden demonstrates how you can create a beautiful, wildlife-friendly garden that supports bats and other nocturnal species. Discover our tips on how to garden for bats and keep an eye out for the nocturnal garden on the BBC coverage all this week.
Support the show
Please leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
Get ready for an action-packed Series 6 of BatChat! This season, we're bringing you breaking news from the bat world, and that’s just the beginning. We’ll take you on a twilight bat walk, explore a buzzing night market with a twist and head deep into Somerset’s countryside in search of the elusive grey long-eared bat. Plus, we’ll venture into the heart of Pembrokeshire to uncover the secrets of a legendary woodland. Series 6 is filled with adventure, discovery, and a few surprises you won’t want to miss! We're back on 🎃31st October🦇.
This week it’s the world famous RHS Chelsea Flower show and for the first time ever, the Bat Conservation Trust have a show garden there. The nocturnal garden demonstrates how you can create a beautiful, wildlife-friendly garden that supports bats and other nocturnal species. Discover our tips on how to garden for bats and keep an eye out for the nocturnal garden on the BBC coverage all this week.
Support the show
Please leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
S5E55 Sat in the entrance to a cave in Wales, hidden amongst temperate rainforest, Richard Crompton gives you his insight into the best way to go about getting your bat licence. Richard has been training ecologists for many years now with around 400 people coming to his courses over the years. In this episode you'll hear about the different bodies that give licences, the different levels of licences and what they allow you to do, which one you should aim for as a consultant ecologist and the sort of activities that are most useful. We also hear about Richard's journey into bat conservation and how he nearly took a job at the Bat Conservation Trust, before turning it down!
- Find Richard on twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn
- Richard's Ecology on Demand website
- Training courses from the Bat Conservation Trust
We've been selected by the Big Give for this year's Green Match Fund; every donation we receive up to £10,000 will be doubled. A huge opportunity to raise at least £20,000 for bat conservation. Donations must be received via the Big Give website between 18th - 25th April.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
👕We now have our own Merch!👚 Get your hands on the brand new range of BatChat clothing and tote bags at our tee mill store.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Google have announced they are discontinuing their app so we recommend making the switch to an alternative podcast app.
Thank you to Wildlife Acoustics and Wildcare for sponsoring series 5 of BatChat.
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout for 10% off all bat detectors and bat boxes.
Support the show
Please leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
S5E54 This week Steve sits down with Joanne Hodgkins, nature conservation advisor for the National Trust. Sitting in the hot August sunshine at The Vyne near Basingstoke, Steve finds out how the National Trust cares not just for it's special places, but for it's special wildlife. Jo explains how bats are now a day to day part of her role at the Trust, how bats are at the centre of most projects on their Estates and how bat groups are an important part of the story.
- Find the National Trust on twitter and Instagram
- Bats at the National Trust webpages
- Bats and historic buildings
We've been selected by the Big Give for this year's Green Match Fund; every donation we receive up to £10,000 will be doubled. A huge opportunity to raise at least £20,000 for bat conservation. Donations must be received via the Big Give website between 18th - 25th April.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
👕We now have our own Merch!👚 Get your hands on the brand new range of BatChat clothing and tote bags at our tee mill store.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Google have announced they are discontinuing their app so we recommend making the switch to an alternative podcast app.
Thank you to Wildlife Acoustics and Wildcare for sponsoring series 5 of BatChat.
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout for 10% off all bat detectors and bat boxes.
Support the show
Please leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
S5E53 This week we join David King who created the BatBox III and BatBox Duet detectors amongst several others for four decades. David tells Steve of how it all came about and they delve into the history of bat detecting, how the Bat Detective book and CD was created and we get an insight into his views on the future of technology used by ecologists and conservationists alike.
- Find David on twitter and Instagram
- BatBox Ltd for their range of bat detectors
- The Bat Detective book and CD
- Want to find out more about bat detecting? Take a look at our guide.
We've been selected by the Big Give for this year's Green Match Fund; every donation we receive up to £10,000 will be doubled. A huge opportunity to raise at least £20,000 for bat conservation. Donations must be received via the Big Give website between 18th - 25th April.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
👕We now have our own Merch!👚 Get your hands on the brand new range of BatChat clothing and tote bags at our tee mill store.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Google have announced they are discontinuing their app so we recommend making the switch to an alternative podcast app.
Thank you to Wildlife Acoustics and Wildcare for sponsoring series 5 of BatChat.
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout for 10% off all bat detectors and bat boxes.
Support the show
Please leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
S5E52 Steve calls in to Canberra, Australia to chat with Dr Debbie Saunders. For over 20 years Debbie has worked as an ecologist and studied the movements of small migratory birds. This includes the Swift Parrot, one of Australia’s most endangered birds.
Like many small animals, Swift Parrots could only be tracked with tiny, very high frequency (VHF) radio-tags. This meant that in order to understand their movements, researchers would have to regularly trek vast distances with handheld receivers to search for each tagged bird, one at a time. But because the Swift Parrot is a highly mobile creature, tracking them on foot was a near impossible feat.
Frustrated by the limitations of radio-tracking manually, Debbie was inspired to develop a practical solution with wide-ranging applicability. Wildlife Drones is now an award-winning start-up that is currently working with a range of people across Australia, the United States and abroad to track the movements of some of the world’s most endangered species, including bats.
- Discover more about Wildlife Drones and find them on twitter, facebook and Instagram
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
👕We now have our own Merch!👚 Get your hands on the brand new range of BatChat clothing and tote bags at our tee mill store.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We've been selected by the Big Give for this year's Green Match Fund; every donation we receive up to £10,000 will be doubled. A huge opportunity to raise at least £20,000 for bat conservation. Donations must be received via the Big Give website between 18th - 25th April.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
👕We now have our own Merch!👚 Get your hands on the brand new range of BatChat clothing and tote bags at our tee mill store.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Google have announced they are discontinuing their app so we recommend making the switch to an alternative podcast app.
Thank you to Wildlife Acoustics and Wildcare for sponsoring series 5 of BatChat.
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout for 10% off all bat detectors and bat boxes.
Support the show
Please leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
S5E51 Join Steve in early summer on the Island of Jersey as he sits down with a trio from the bat group. In this interview we hear about the historic work of the group and the sort of survey work being done at the moment on the Island. With 18 bat species recorded on this 46 square miles of land just off the French coast, we hear there's still plenty more to be discovered.
- Discover more about Jersey Bat Group and follow them on twitter, facebook and Instagram
- Watch the Jersey Bat Project video. Hugh the Bat is the face of the campaign. He is named after the late Hugh Forshaw, who was a long standing member of Jersey Bat Group
- Discover your local bat group
We've been selected by the Big Give for this year's Green Match Fund; every donation we receive up to £10,000 will be doubled. A huge opportunity to raise at least £20,000 for bat conservation. Donations must be received via the Big Give website between 18th - 25th April.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
👕We now have our own Merch!👚 Get your hands on the brand new range of BatChat clothing and tote bags at our tee mill store.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Google have announced they are discontinuing their app so we recommend making the switch to an alternative podcast app.
Thank you to Wildlife Acoustics and Wildcare for sponsoring series 5 of BatChat.
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout for 10% off all bat detectors and bat boxes.
Support the show
Please leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
S5E50 On the edge of Kidderminster lies Hurcott Pool and Wood Nature Reserve. An old boathouse on the edge of the pool has been repurposed by Worcestershire Bat Group and a few minutes away lies Lea Castle Village where the street lighting has been designed with bats at the forefront of its design. We join bat group members Cody Levine and Matthew Terry on a summer evening at the end of July.
- Watch a video of the boathouse on YouTube
- Discover more about Worcestershire Bat Group and follow them on twitter, facebook and Instagram
- Take a look at the Wyre Forest page on Hurcott.
- Read about the Lea Castle Village and how Worcestershire County Council are rolling out red street lighting across the county.
- Discover your local bat group
We've been selected by the Big Give for this year's Green Match Fund; every donation we receive up to £10,000 will be doubled. A huge opportunity to raise at least £20,000 for bat conservation. Donations must be received via the Big Give website between 18th - 25th April.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
👕We now have our own Merch!👚 Get your hands on the brand new range of BatChat clothing and tote bags at our tee mill store.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Google have announced they are discontinuing their app so we recommend making the switch to an alternative podcast app.
Thank you to Wildlife Acoustics and Wildcare for sponsoring series 5 of BatChat.
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout for 10% off all bat detectors and bat boxes.
Support the show
Please leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
S5E49 This week we join BCT member Mark Ferguson who has just released his latest album; Walking With Bats. What does it sound like to go bat detecting? From start to finish, this question has underpinned Walking with Bats. Mark's main goal throughout the album's development has been simple: to transport listeners directly to the field, placing their ears where his are so they can experience the excitement of bat detecting through their own headphones.
- Find the album on Mark's website or here on Bandcamp
- Read Mark's blog on the BCT website
- Want to find out more about bat detecting? Take a look at our guide.
We've been selected by the Big Give for this year's Green Match Fund; every donation we receive up to £10,000 will be doubled. A huge opportunity to raise at least £20,000 for bat conservation. Donations must be received via the Big Give website between 18th - 25th April.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
👕We now have our own Merch!👚 Get your hands on the brand new range of BatChat clothing and tote bags at our tee mill store.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Google have announced they are discontinuing their app so we recommend making the switch to an alternative podcast app.
Thank you to Wildlife Acoustics and Wildcare for sponsoring series 5 of BatChat.
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout for 10% off all bat detectors and bat boxes.
Support the show
Please leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
S5E48 Jersey Zoo in the Channel Islands is home to 90% of the world's captive population of Livingstone's fruit bats. With an estimated 1300 in the wild, this captive breeding programme is vital to the survival of the species in a disaster event. We join Dominic Wormell inside the bat enclosure as he explains how they care for the colony and how the bats are received by the visiting public.
Discover more about the colony here
Have a listen to our other zoo episode from Chester Zoo
More about the species on the BCI website
We've been selected by the Big Give for this year's Green Match Fund; every donation we receive up to £10,000 will be doubled. A huge opportunity to raise at least £20,000 for bat conservation. Donations must be received via the Big Give website between 18th - 25th April.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
👕We now have our own Merch!👚 Get your hands on the brand new range of BatChat clothing and tote bags at our tee mill store.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Google have announced they are discontinuing their app so we recommend making the switch to an alternative podcast app.
Thank you to Wildlife Acoustics and Wildcare for sponsoring series 5 of BatChat.
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout for 10% off all bat detectors and bat boxes.
Support the show
Please leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
S5E47 On the edge of the Cotswolds lies Lacock Abbey, home to Professor Quirrel's classroom and the Mirror of Erised. But whilst millions of people will recognise the Cloisters of the Abbey used in the filming of the Harry Potter franchise, a rather special spectacle can be found here once the sun goes down. A soprano pipistrelle bat roost hidden in the roof of Sharrington's tower is regurgitated each evening from the mouths of the gargoyles that surround the tower. We join Wendy Priest as she undertakes a count for the National Bat Monitoring Programme on a calm June evening.
- Follow Wendy on twitter and Instagram
- Discover more about Lacock Abbey and follow them on twitter, facebook and Instagram
- Take a look at the Wiltshire Bat Group's website, twitter, Instagram and Facebook page.
- Find out how to take part in the National Bat Monitoring Programme yourself
- Discover your local bat group
We've been selected by the Big Give for this year's Green Match Fund; every donation we receive up to £10,000 will be doubled. A huge opportunity to raise at least £20,000 for bat conservation. Donations must be received via the Big Give website between 18th - 25th April.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
👕We now have our own Merch!👚 Get your hands on the brand new range of BatChat clothing and tote bags at our tee mill store.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Google have announced they are discontinuing their app so we recommend making the switch to an alternative podcast app.
Thank you to Wildlife Acoustics and Wildcare for sponsoring series 5 of BatChat.
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout for 10% off all bat detectors and bat boxes.
Support the show
Please leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
S5E46 Hidden in west Dorset is a nature reserve which holds a very special secret. A bat box scheme which was installed in the late 1990's is home to one of the most well-studied colonies of Bechstein's bats. Join Steve as he spends the day with the Vincent Wildlife Trust and Dorset Wildlife Trust as they undertake one of their monthly inspections of the boxes, adding to this really important data which has been collected over the last quarter of a century. We hear from Patrick Wright, VWTs senior scientific officer about the history of the scheme and what new discoveries are being made, Steve Masters, Dorset Wildlife Trust's reserve ecologist who tells us why the woodland is such a special place and a familiar voice to regular listeners; Jim Mullholland who has recently joined VWT explains how the team are processing the bats as silver-washed fritillary butterflies swoop around the dappled sunlight hitting the woodland floor.
- Bats at the Vincent Wildlife Trust
- Dorset Wildlife Trust
- Dorset Bat Group
- Maureen Keats dedication
We've been selected by the Big Give for this year's Green Match Fund; every donation we receive up to £10,000 will be doubled. A huge opportunity to raise at least £20,000 for bat conservation. Donations must be received via the Big Give website between 18th - 25th April.
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👕We now have our own Merch!👚 Get your hands on the brand new range of BatChat clothing and tote bags at our tee mill store.
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Google have announced they are discontinuing their app so we recommend making the switch to an alternative podcast app.
Thank you to Wildlife Acoustics and Wildcare for sponsoring series 5 of BatChat.
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout for 10% off all bat detectors and bat boxes.
Support the show
Please leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
BatChat Series 5 is set to kick off on Wednesday November 1st, with an exciting lineup of guests and fascinating interviews. Stay tuned for more great content and enriching conversations. Don't forget to check out the accompanying video on YouTube for more batty content. Mark your calendars, set your reminders and get ready for the return of BatChat!
If you're new to BatChat, episodes are released every second Wednesday throughout each series taking listeners through autumn, winter and early spring with stories from the world of bat conservation.
Support the show
Please leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
This summer, in a major new exhibition, you can see how documenting the animal world has resulted in some of humankind’s most awe-inspiring art, science and sound recordings:
Animals: Art, Science and Sound is now open at the British Library
Part of the exhibition is dedicated to darkness and Steve got to have a preview of what's on show a couple of days before the exhibition opened. In this interview with Cheryl Tipp, curator of Wildlife and Environmental Sounds, Steve discovers what can be heard in the exhibit as well as what bat recordings lie in the archive. Hear the recordings of horseshoe bats made on one of the first commercially available bat detectors; the Holgate Mk VI and you can see this detector within the exhibition along with photographs of the waveforms it could make from recordings. It sits alongside other important works such as Ernst Haeckel's Kunstformen der Natur (Artforms in nature) with the plate of bats on display. Cheryl also explains how you can submit your bat recordings to the library for adding to the archive.
The exhibition is open until Monday 28th Aug 2023. Tickets and all the information you need can be found on the Animals: Art, Science and Sound website.
- Follow Cheryl Tipp on twitter.
- Discover more about John Hooper on page 13 of this journal.
- Listen to the Holgate recordings of greater horseshoes again on the British Library archive page as well as Cheryl's recording of common pipistrelles.
We've been selected by the Big Give for this year's Green Match Fund; every donation we receive up to £5000 will be doubled. A huge opportunity to raise £10,000 for bat conservation. Donations must be received via the Big Give website between 20th - 27th April.
We're running a Listener SurveyWe’d really appreciate it if you could answer a few quick questions about BatChat so that we can bring you the best possible content for future series.
You can leave your answer anonymously if you'd prefer: https://forms.office.com/e/VAvudX7NFr
Support the showPlease leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
S4E44 - Bonus! The landmark nature documentary series Wild Isles, presented by Sir David Attenborough is currently transmitting on Sunday's at 7pm on BBC One. The fourth episode "Freshwater" features a fabulous bat sequence, recorded in Yorkshire of the phenomenon of autumn swarming. Back in November as the series had entered picture lock, Steve went along to the offices of Silverback films to interview assistant producer Lily Moffatt who worked on the sequence. Lily explains how they captured the shots and what sort of effort goes into capturing such a sequence for a blue chip production.
Discover how you can save our Wild Isles and visit the BBC's series website. You can also re-watch the episode on the Freshwater webpage.
Get in touch with the show - comms@bats.org.uk - if you have a story to share, are doing a bat project or want to submit a piece of writing or poetry.
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2022-2023.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout for 10% off all bat detectors!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
We've been selected by the Big Give for this year's Green Match Fund; every donation we receive up to £5000 will be doubled. A huge opportunity to raise £10,000 for bat conservation. Donations must be received via the Big Give website between 20th - 27th April.
Want to be notified when the page is live? Subscribe to our list here.
We're running a Listener SurveyWe’d really appreciate it if you could answer a few quick questions about BatChat so that we can bring you the best possible content for future series.
You can leave your answer anonymously if you'd prefer: https://forms.office.com/e/VAvudX7NFr
Support the showPlease leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
S4E43 As series four comes to a close, Steve sits down with a titan of bat conservation. Dr Robert (Bob) Stebbings is one of the original bat workers in the UK and in this episode we hear about some of the major bat conservation work undertaken by Bob over the last half century.
Make sure you follow the show so you get notified of our two bonus episodes which will go out before the next series. The first of those will be an interview with the team who made Wild Isles and you can watch the trailer for this upcoming landmark nature documentary here.
Night Winged was written by Helen Ball and you can find her on twitter and Instagram.
Get in touch with the show - comms@bats.org.uk - if you have a story to share, are doing a bat project or want to submit a piece of writing or poetry.
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2022-2023.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout for 10% off all bat detectors!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
We're running a Listener SurveyWe’d really appreciate it if you could answer a few quick questions about BatChat so that we can bring you the best possible content for future series.
You can leave your answer anonymously if you'd prefer: https://forms.office.com/e/VAvudX7NFr
Support the showPlease leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
S4E42 This week Steve joins Chris Damant in the grounds of Cliveden House on the banks of the River Thames. As fine dining takes place in the hotel above them, Chris and his team have set up traps to catch bats as they arrive to mate in the middle of the night. Underneath the south terrace are a number of rooms which mimic underground structures and its these that the bats travel to from far and wide to undertake an annual phenomenon, autumn swarming. Cliveden hosts one of the most important bat sites in the country, with eight species swarming here between August and October.
- Read more about the work Chris has undertaken at Cliveden
- Follow Chris Damant on twitter and instagram
- Take a look at our ROOST website that Chris mentions in this episode
- Book your place at the Scottish or South-West bat conferences
- Leave us a voicemail!Got a question for the bat community or want some advice? Whether you’re new to bats or a seasoned bat lover, we want to hear from you. Record your voice message here. Don't worry, you can hear it back and re-record it if you don't like it.
Join the conversation with the hashtag #BatChat
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2022-2023.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout for 10% off all bat detectors!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
We're running a Listener SurveyWe’d really appreciate it if you could answer a few quick questions about BatChat so that we can bring you the best possible content for future series.
You can leave your answer anonymously if you'd prefer: https://forms.office.com/e/VAvudX7NFr
Support the showPlease leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
S4E41 Tony Hutson has been shouting about bats since the 1960's and has changed the bat conservation landscape in that time. He was a founding member of the bat groups of Britain, the precursor to the Bat Conservation Trust. His survey work on the lonely greater mouse-eared bat inspired a play and he's been on expedition to a remote cave with astronaut Neil Armstrong. Steve sits down with Tony in this episode to find out more about Tony's work.
- Read our news story about the discovery of the second greater mouse-eared bat
- Sussex bat group's website, twitter and instagram
- Leave us a voicemail!Got a question for the bat community or want some advice? Whether you’re new to bats or a seasoned bat lover, we want to hear from you. Record your voice message here. Don't worry, you can hear it back and re-record it if you don't like it.
Join the conversation with the hashtag #BatChat
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2022-2023.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout for 10% off all bat detectors!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
We're running a Listener SurveyWe’d really appreciate it if you could answer a few quick questions about BatChat so that we can bring you the best possible content for future series.
You can leave your answer anonymously if you'd prefer: https://forms.office.com/e/VAvudX7NFr
Support the showPlease leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
S4E40 In this interview recorded right at the end of August 2022, Steve is sat in a Norfolk woodland with Dr Charlotte Packman. We learn what potential impacts a new road in the area might have on the local bat populations and as Lotty explains it could have a significant impact on a nationally significant barbastelle bat population. Lotty works for the Norfolk Wildlife Trust (NWT) as their Conservation Scientist and the research discussed in this episode has been a collaboration between NWT, Wild Wings Ecology and the University of East Anglia. Lotty starts us off by introducing herself and describing where we are.
Read the latest on the NDR from the Norfolk Wildlife Trust.
Read other news on the NDR from the Norfolk Wildlife Trust.
Our own position statement on the NDR is here.
The Change.org petition can be found here.
Listen to that other episode mentioned with Jane Harris at the incredible Paston Great Barn site.
Since recording this episode the Norfolk Wildlife Trust have submitted a proposal to Natural England to consider the Wensum Woodlands for SSSI status. You can find that application listed here.
Send a voice message to BatChat!We want you to get in touch with your favourite bat experience. It doesn’t matter whether it was the first time you’ve ever seen a bat, you might have seen a brief shadow flying past as you were leaving your house, perhaps you’ve been checking bat boxes with yo
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2022-2023.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout for 10% off all bat detectors!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
We're running a Listener SurveyWe’d really appreciate it if you could answer a few quick questions about BatChat so that we can bring you the best possible content for future series.
You can leave your answer anonymously if you'd prefer: https://forms.office.com/e/VAvudX7NFr
Support the showPlease leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
S4E39 Rodrigo Medellín is Mexico's very own 'Bat Man'. Since he first kept vampire bats in his bathroom as a child, Rodrigo has dedicated his life to saving them. On the evening of the 2022 UK National Bat Conference, Steve sits down with Rodrigo and asks him what it felt like to succeed in taking the lesser long nosed bat off the endangered species list and what it felt like to watch the bat volcano of Calakmul for the first time.
National Geographic Explorer at Large Rodrigo Medellín
Rodrigo's twitter and Instagram
Bat friendly tequila brands
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2022-2023.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout for 10% off all bat detectors!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
We're running a Listener SurveyWe’d really appreciate it if you could answer a few quick questions about BatChat so that we can bring you the best possible content for future series.
You can leave your answer anonymously if you'd prefer: https://forms.office.com/e/VAvudX7NFr
Support the showPlease leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
S4E38 We return to London's Natural History Museum. This time however, we're in the bowels of the Diptera collection with flygirl herself, Dr Erica McAlister. If you think you recognise that name it's because Erica has graced the airwaves several times before including BBC Radio 4's The Infinite Monkey Cage and The Life Scientific. As you'll hear in this episode, Erica needs help from those of us who regularly handle bats. If you're a bat carer or a bat worker who undertakes bat box checks or trapping surveys, please start collecting all bat ectoparasites from bats and place them into vials of 100% ethanol. Make detailed notes about the species of bat they came from, the sex of the bat, located of ectoparasite & what the bat was doing at the time. A location & the habitat is also a must. As much info as possible! You can then post your specimens to:
Dr Erica McAlister,
Senior Curator; Diptera,
Life Sciences (Insects Division),
The Natural History Museum,
Cromwell Road,
London SW7 5BD.
Your specimens will be added to the collection and your name will eventually appear in the digital collections.
Bat and bird fly recording scheme website
See Piotr Naskrecki's bat fly image here
A short video of Erica talking about bat flies along with more photos here
Ethanol can be
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2022-2023.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout for 10% off all bat detectors!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
We're running a Listener SurveyWe’d really appreciate it if you could answer a few quick questions about BatChat so that we can bring you the best possible content for future series.
You can leave your answer anonymously if you'd prefer: https://forms.office.com/e/VAvudX7NFr
Wildlife Acoustics
Wildcare
Support the showPlease leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
S4E37 Haddon Hall, the private residence of Lord and Lady Edward Manners, is set in the Peak District in the valley of the River Wye. With nine hundred years of history, it is one of the oldest houses in the country and moreover one of the only houses in England to have remained in one family’s ownership for its entire existence. In the corner of the Hall, a large soprano pipistrelle bat roost resides within the roof of the Chapel. Steve chats with Lord Edward about rewilding of the estate, his conservation work in Africa and the fact that he has to clear bat droppings from his desk each morning!
Find out more about wilding of the Medieval Parkland as well as it's ecology
Watch a video of the roost on the Derbyshire Bat Group YouTube page
Advice about bats in historic buildings from Historic England, the bats in churches project and from this collaborative guide.
Send a voice message to BatChat!We want you to get in touch with your favourite bat experience. It doesn’t matter whether it was the first time you’ve ever seen a bat, you might have seen a brief shadow flying past as you were leaving your house, perhaps you’ve been checking bat boxes with your local bat group and saw bats up close for the first time or saw a bat species you've never seen before, perhaps you’ve counted a bat roost this summer and something unusual happened, maybe you heard what bats sound like on
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2022-2023.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout for 10% off all bat detectors!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
We're running a Listener SurveyWe’d really appreciate it if you could answer a few quick questions about BatChat so that we can bring you the best possible content for future series.
You can leave your answer anonymously if you'd prefer: https://forms.office.com/e/VAvudX7NFr
Wildcare
Wildlife Acoustics
Support the showPlease leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
S4E36 You join us in a secret location this week. Back in 2019, Scotty Dodd from the Sussex Bat Group made the most significant discovery in the history of the bat group...the first maternity roost of greater horseshoe bats in Sussex for one hundred years. Truly the find of the century! In a small dry valley surrounded by beech trees, Scotty & Steve are sat in front of the run-down stable block as Scotty describes to Steve how he came across the roost and got the verification he was looking for.
As you'll hear in this episode, the team need a lot of money to save this roost and improve it so that the colony has every chance of survival. So if you can,
donate to the JustGiving appeal here
See the roost on the VWT website
See what else the Sussex Bat Group get up to and follow them on twitter
Send a voice message to BatChat!We want you to get in touch with your favourite bat experience. It doesn’t matter whether it was the first time you’ve ever seen a bat, you might have seen a brief shadow flying past as you were leaving your house, perhaps you’ve been checking bat boxes with your local bat group and saw bats up close for the first time or saw a bat species you've never seen before, perhaps you’ve counted a bat roost this summer and something unusual happened, maybe you heard what bats sound like on a detector and thought it was the coolest thing ever! Whether you’re new to bats or a seasoned bat lover, we want to hear all about your favourite bat experience from this year. Record your voice message here. Don't worry, you can hear it back and re-record it if you don't like it.
Join the conversation on social media using #BatChat
Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatMan
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout for 10% off all bat detectors!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Wildlife Acoustics
Wildcare
Support the showPlease leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
S4E35 We're back with a brand new series! This week Steve joins a volunteer roost visitor, Chris Smith from Staffordshire Bat Group, on a roost visit requested by the Bat Conservation Trust. Chris discusses the value of the free service, how he got into volunteering for the visits and why he thinks it provides such a great positive outcome for bats (most of the time!). Hear how Chris undertakes the survey and provides advice to the roost owners afterwards.
Want to know more about bats living in your house or how to tell if you have a bat roost? BCT have lots of info here.
Interested in becoming a Volunteer Roost Visitor?
Send a voice message to BatChat!We want you to get in touch with your favourite bat experience. It doesn’t matter whether it was the first time you’ve ever seen a bat, you might have seen a brief shadow flying past as you were leaving your house, perhaps you’ve been checking bat boxes with your local bat group and saw bats up close for the first time or saw a bat species you've never seen before, perhaps you’ve counted a bat roost this summer and something unusual happened, maybe you heard what bats sound like on a detector and thought it was the coolest thing ever! Whether you’re new to bats or a seasoned bat lover, we want to hear all about your favourite bat experience from this year. Record your voice message here. Don't worry, you can hear it back and re-record it if you don't like it.
Join the conversation on social media using #BatChat
Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatMan
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout for 10% off all bat detectors!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Wildcare
Wildlife Acoustics
Support the showPlease leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).
Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
BatChat is returning on 9th November 2022 with series 4 and we want to hear from you!
Yes that's right; you guys, your voices, on this show. We want you to get in touch with your favourite bat experience from this year. Maybe you discovered bats living in your house, you went on a bat walk for the first time or you saw bats somewhere you weren't expecting. Whether you’re new to bats or a seasoned bat lover, we want to hear all about your favourite bat experience from this year.
So how do you leave this message? Well you can leave us a voicemail and we’ll play your recording here on BatChat!
https://www.speakpipe.com/batchat
Don’t worry; you can listen to your message before sending it to us and re-record it if you don’t like it! Remember to say your name if you'd like to be credited.
Support the showBats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
Hidden amongst the boughs of an Oak tree, Steve & his guests look down over the Knepp Castle Rewilding Estate; former farmland which has been allowed to return to nature by the owners Isabella Tree & Charlie Burrell. In this episode, as the sun sets the light turns golden. Below us red deer begin to bellow at the start of the rutting season, a green woodpecker calls out from amongst the tussocky grassland and bats begin to flit about the Oak canopy they're stood in. Our guests in this final episode of season 3 are Ryan Greaves and Stephanie Murphy. Ryan tells us more about the Estate and Steph explains how bat surveys have evolved over the years.
- Follow Ryan and Steph on Instagram
- Follow Knepp on twitter and Instagram
- Find out more about the greater horseshoes in Sussex
- Get more audio from Knepp by having a listen to their podcast
- Get the history of the Knepp Rewilding project here
- The bestselling book Wilding by Isabella Tree can be bought here
It really helps us as a show if you leave us a review because it helps other people discover that we exist
Season 4
Recording for series 4 is already underway and will be coming later in the year. We're looking for participants to share bat stores from across the UK with the podcast so if you're working on a great bat project or have a story about the bats in your area to share please drop us an email to comms@bats.org.uk
Our Social Media
Join the conversation on social media using #BatChat:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/batconservationtrust
For more bat news, head to our website https://www.bats.org.uk/
Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatMan
Cover Art: Rachel Hudson http://rachelhudsonillustration.com/
Bats are magical but misunderstood mammals. At the Bat Conservation Trust we have a vision of a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. We know that conservation action to protect and conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats and their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever. To donate please go to: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)
Discover the amazing work taking place in the dead of night each year by hoards of volunteers. This episode starts with Steve joining a team of these volunteers who are counting out a brown long-eared bat roost in the Derbyshire Dales at dusk as a nearby rookery gathers. We then sit down in Battersea Park, London with Philip Briggs, monitoring manager for the Bat Conservation Trust who collates all of this data sent in by volunteers and turns it into invaluable trends to establish how our bats are faring year on year in the UK. The National Bat Monitoring Programme is one of the longest running citizen science projects in the world and YOU, yes YOU can take part! There are surveys which need no prior experience.
- Get involved with the NBMP yourself here
- Take a look at the summary maps for each survey type
- Watch footage of the brown long-eared roost being counted out by Jill in this episode here as the bats return at dawn
- Read the latest NBMP report to see how our bats are faring
- Please leave us a review of the show as it helps us get BatChat discovered by other listeners. Instructions of how to leave your review in each of these places can be found here.
Competition Time!
We're running BatChat's first ever competition this series. Children's authors Angela Mills and Emma Reynolds have kindly donated prizes for our first ever competition! Angela has donated a copy of Bobby the brown long-eared bat signed by both Angela and Chris Packham and Emma has donated a copy of her newly released book Amara and the bats (see episode 26). To enter the competition to win one of these brilliant books, all you have to do is write us a review about the show and the two winners will be picked at random at the end of this series. Not all podcast apps allow you to leave reviews, so;
- if you’re an Apple device user, leave us a review on the Apple podcasts app which is already installed on your device.
- if you’re an Android user, you can leave us a review on the Podcast Addict app
- and if you don’t listen to the show on a mobile device you can write your review on the Podchaser website.
- Instructions of how to leave your review in each of these places can be found here. Remember, we need to be able to contact you if you win so when you leave your review, make sure you give us your twitter or Instagram handle in the review. If you don’t use these, drop us an email to comms@bats.org.uk with a copy of your review. We’re only able to post the prizes to addresses in the United Kingdom.
Join the conversation on social media using #BatChat:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust
Twitter: https://tw
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)
Join Steve on the Welcombe Hills overlooking Stratford-upon-Avon as he sits down with the author of Bobby the brown long-eared bat, a children's book which follows the adventure of a baby brown long-eared bat who lives in the attic of a farmyard. Sitting in the autumn sunshine on a wooden bench watching the world go by, Angela reveals to Steve where the inspiration for Bobby came from, how she got into the world of bats, the challenges of publishing as well as revealing what's next in store for Bobby!
- Angela is on twitter and Instagram
- Find out more about Bobby the brown long-eared bat on his own website!
- Get your own signed copy direct from Angela from her online shop
- or order from here and 10% of the proceeds will be donated to the Bat Conservation Trust
- Support your local bookstore by shopping on uk.bookshop.org where you can name your local bookstore to support them whilst you shop.
Competition Time!
As you heard in this episode, Angela Mills and fellow children's author Emma Reynolds have kindly donated prizes for our first ever competition! Angela has donated a copy of Bobby the brown long-eared bat signed by both Angela and Chris Packham and Emma has donated a copy of her newly released book Amara and the bats (see episode 26). To enter the competition to win one of these brilliant books, all you have to do is write us a review about the show and the two winners will be picked at random at the end of this series. Not all podcast apps allow you to leave reviews, so;
- if you’re an Apple device user, leave us a review on the Apple podcasts app which is already installed on your device.
- if you’re an Android user, you can leave us a review on the Podcast Addict app
- and if you don’t listen to the show on a mobile device you can write your review on the Podchaser website.
- Instructions of how to leave your review in each of these places can be found here. Remember, we need to be able to contact you if you win so when you leave your review, make sure you give us your twitter or Instagram handle in the review. If you don’t use these, drop us an email to comms@bats.org.uk with a copy of your review. We’re only able to post the prizes to addresses in the United Kingdom.
Join the conversation on social media using #BatChat:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/batconservationtrust
For more bat news, head to our website https://www.bats.org.uk/
Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatMan
Cover Art: Rachel Hudson
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)
This week Steve is on the Tortworth Estate in south Gloucestershire with Jim Mullholland. They're joined by a voluntary team of arborists who are assisting Jim with his 5 year project to create natural tree features for Bechstein's and barbastelle bats. By using chainsaws to create different crevices and cavities within living trees, the team hope that they will be taken up by colonies of the two bat species which are present in the woodland Steve is visiting today in this episode. The episode starts on a sunny spring day in an ancient woodland with chiffchaff singing in the canopy overhead. As the episode moves down to where the team are working for the day there's more background noise than you're used to on BatChat because the woodland is right next to the M5 motorway.
- Jim Mullholland is on twitter and Instagram
- Jim has a YouTube channel with a number of videos of bats inside tree roosts.
- The Tortworth Estate opens to the public on certain days of the year. Find out more here.
- Listen to our other episodes on veteranisation with Jim and Vicky Bengtsson
- A guide to veteranisation techniques is at this link.
Competition Time!
Children’s authors Angela Mills and Emma Reynolds have kindly donated prizes. Angela has donated a copy of Bobby the brown long-eared bat signed by both Angela and Chris Packham and Emma has donated a copy of her newly released book Amara and the bats (see above episode!). To enter the competition to win one of these brilliant books, all you have to do is write us a review about the show and the two winners will be picked at random at the end of this series. Not all podcast apps allow you to leave reviews, so if you’re an Apple device user, leave us a review on the Apple podcasts app which is already installed on your device. If you’re an Android user, you can leave us a review on the Podcast Addict app and if you don’t listen to the show on a mobile device you can write your review on the Podchaser website. Instructions of how to leave your review in each of these places can be found here. Remember, we need to be able to contact you if you win so when you leave your review, make sure you give us your twitter or Instagram handle in the review. If you don’t use these, drop us an email to comms@bats.org.uk with a copy of your review. We’re only able to post the prizes to addresses in the United Kingdom.
Join the conversation on social media using #BatChat:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/batconservationtrust
For more bat
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)
This week Steve is in Surrey at RHS Garden Wisley with Principal Entomologist Dr Andrew Salisbury. Andrew sits down with Steve in the brand new wildlife garden outside their new laboratory building to tell us about the work the RHS do and how we can improve our gardens for wildlife including bats.
This week we also have a piece of nature writing by James Gilbert. James creates 'thumbnail' pieces and tweets them out and he's created a longer piece especially for BatChat called "Made with Echoes".
- RHS Garden Wisley website, twitter and Instagram
- RHS Plants for Pollinators list
- Andrew Salisbury is on twitter and Instagram and his RHS profile is here
- Info on how to garden for bats can be found on our website
- James Gilbert is on twitter
- Morgan Brind who narrated Made with Echoes is on twitter and Instagram
If you have a piece of nature writing or poetry about bats that you'd like to share with us, drop us an email to comms@bats.org.uk and your piece may end up on the show!
Competition Time!
Children’s authors Angela Mills and Emma Reynolds have kindly donated prizes. Angela has donated a copy of Bobby the brown long-eared bat signed by both Angela and Chris Packham and Emma has donated a copy of her newly released book Amara and the bats (see above episode!). To enter the competition to win one of these brilliant books, all you have to do is write us a review about the show and the two winners will be picked at random at the end of this series. Not all podcast apps allow you to leave reviews, so if you’re an Apple device user, leave us a review on the Apple podcasts app which is already installed on your device. If you’re an Android user, you can leave us a review on the Podcast Addict app and if you don’t listen to the show on a mobile device you can write your review on the Podchaser website. Instructions of how to leave your review in each of these places can be found here. Remember, we need to be able to contact you if you win so when you leave your review, make sure you give us your twitter or Instagram handle in the review. If you don’t use these, drop us an email to comms@bats.org.uk with a copy of your review. We’re only able to post the prizes to addresses in the United Kingdom.
Join the conversation on social media using #BatChat:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_
Instagram:
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)
This week Steve joins Martyn Cooke outside a holiday cottage in Staffordshire as they set up a matrix of bat detectors to record the sound of Brandt's bats emerging from their roost before flying into the adjacent woodland. Martyn explains why he is recording the calls, why he's travelled all the way from Surrey to record these bats and what the calls will be used for. Steve finds out how an injured serotine bat got Martyn hooked on bats and they talk about the advances in automatic bat call identification.
If you're interested in finding out more about bat detectors, your local bat group are likely to be able to lend you a detector and you can learn more about them on our website here. Listen to our earlier episode from series one about Brandt's in the Churnet valley here.
- Follow Martyn on twitter
- Borrow detectors from us to help us grow the call library
- Bat Detector Info
- Low cost AudioMoth detectors on twitter
Please leave us a review if you can, it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are.
Competition Time!
Two of this series future guests, children’s authors Angela Mills and Emma Reynolds have kindly donated prizes. Angela has donated a copy of Bobby the brown long-eared bat signed by both Angela and Chris Packham and Emma has donated a copy of her newly released book Amara and the bats. To enter the competition to win one of these brilliant books, all you have to do is write us a review about the show and the two winners will be picked at random at the end of this series. Not all podcast apps allow you to leave reviews, so if you’re an Apple device user, leave us a review on the Apple podcasts app which is already installed on your device. If you’re an Android user, you can leave us a review on the Podcast Addict app and if you don’t listen to the show on a mobile device you can write your review on the Podchaser website. Instructions of how to leave your review in each of these places can be found here. Remember, we need to be able to contact you if you win so when you leave your review, make sure you give us your twitter or Instagram handle in the review. If you don’t use these, drop us an email to comms@bats.org.uk with a copy of your review. We’re only able to post the prizes to addresses in the United Kingdom.
Join the conversation on social media using #BatChat
Producer: Steve Roe
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)
This week Steve is joined in a Derbyshire churchyard by Jon Russ who is an expert on bat echolocation calls. They discuss how Jon got into studying bat calls, his latest book on the subject and his passion for Nathusius’ pipistrelle bats. Jon's latest book "Bat Calls of Britain and Europe" is available from Pelagic Publishing and is aimed at anyone interested in bat echolocation. It contains introductory chapters to the subject as well as more advanced topics such as sound analysis. As Jon says in this episode if you want to get into learning about bat calls the best place to start is to get hold of a bat detector. Your local bat group are likely to be able to lend you a detector and you can learn more about them on our website here. Jon's other passion is Nathusius' pipistrelles and he runs the website dedicated to this species containing distribution maps, identification tips and other information about their ecology. Listen to our earlier episode about Nathusius' pipistrelles with Dan Hargreaves here.
- Bat Calls of Britain and Europe
- Bat Detector Info
- Nathusius' pipistrelle website
Please leave us a review if you can, it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are.
Competition Time!
Two of this series future guests, children’s authors Angela Mills and Emma Reynolds have kindly donated prizes. Angela has donated a copy of Bobby the brown long-eared bat signed by both Angela and Chris Packham and Emma has donated a copy of her newly released book Amara and the bats. To enter the competition to win one of these brilliant books, all you have to do is write us a review about the show and the two winners will be picked at random at the end of this series. Not all podcast apps allow you to leave reviews, so if you’re an Apple device user, leave us a review on the Apple podcasts app which is already installed on your device. If you’re an Android user, you can leave us a review on the Podcast Addict app and if you don’t listen to the show on a mobile device you can write your review on the Podchaser website. Instructions of how to leave your review in each of these places can be found here. Remember, we need to be able to contact you if you win so when you leave your review, make sure you give us your twitter or Instagram handle in the review. If you don’t use these, drop us an email to comms@bats.org.uk with a copy of your review. We’re only able to post the prizes to addresses in the United Kingdom.
Join the conversation on social media using #BatChat
Producer: Steve Roe
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)
This week Steve is in the Lake District National Park with Ecologist and Chair of south Cumbria Bat Group Rich Flight. Rich published the findings of a study called "Bats with Altitude" in the journal British Island Bats in 2021 and he sits down with Steve to tell us about what inspired the project, what bats were found at over 500m on the mountainsides and how volunteers surveyed for bats in challenging upland conditions.
- Bats with Altitude paper (page 105) published in British Island Bats where photos of the study sites and maps are available
- Rich's Instagram
- Rich's twitter
- South Cumbria Bat Group website
- Cumberland Bat Group website
Competition Time!
Children’s authors Angela Mills and Emma Reynolds have kindly donated prizes. Angela has donated a copy of Bobby the brown long-eared bat signed by both Angela and Chris Packham and Emma has donated a copy of her newly released book Amara and the bats (see above episode!). To enter the competition to win one of these brilliant books, all you have to do is write us a review about the show and the two winners will be picked at random at the end of this series. Not all podcast apps allow you to leave reviews, so if you’re an Apple device user, leave us a review on the Apple podcasts app which is already installed on your device. If you’re an Android user, you can leave us a review on the Podcast Addict app and if you don’t listen to the show on a mobile device you can write your review on the Podchaser website. Instructions of how to leave your review in each of these places can be found here. Remember, we need to be able to contact you if you win so when you leave your review, make sure you give us your twitter or Instagram handle in the review. If you don’t use these, drop us an email to comms@bats.org.uk with a copy of your review. We’re only able to post the prizes to addresses in the United Kingdom.
Join the conversation on social media using #BatChat:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/batconservationtrust
For more bat news, head to our website https://www.bats.org.uk/
Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatMan
Cover Art: Rachel Hudson http://rachelhudsonillustration.com/
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)
This week Steve is at Chorlton Water Park Nature Reserve in Manchester with author and illustrator Emma Reynolds. Emma's debut author-illustrator book "Amara and the Bats" was published here in the UK in July 2021 and she sits down with Steve to tell us how the book has been received, what she thinks the future of children's books holds and what it was that inspired her to write a kids book about bats.
- Emma's website
- Amara and the Bats publisher website
- Buy your books and support your local bookstore using Bookshop.org
- Emma's shop (including pin badges, stickers & cards)
-
KidLit4Climate
- Emma's Instagram (where you can watch Bat Club Live on Tuesdays or watch the back-catalogue whenever you like)
- Emma's twitter
Competition Time!
Children’s authors Angela Mills and Emma Reynolds have kindly donated prizes. Angela has donated a copy of Bobby the brown long-eared bat signed by both Angela and Chris Packham and Emma has donated a copy of her newly released book Amara and the bats (see above episode!). To enter the competition to win one of these brilliant books, all you have to do is write us a review about the show and the two winners will be picked at random at the end of this series. Not all podcast apps allow you to leave reviews, so if you’re an Apple device user, leave us a review on the Apple podcasts app which is already installed on your device. If you’re an Android user, you can leave us a review on the Podcast Addict app and if you don’t listen to the show on a mobile device you can write your review on the Podchaser website. Instructions of how to leave your review in each of these places can be found here. Remember, we need to be able to contact you if you win so when you leave your review, make sure you give us your twitter or Instagram handle in the review. If you don’t use these, drop us an email to comms@bats.org.uk with a copy of your review. We’re only able to post the prizes to addresses in the United Kingdom.
Join the conversation on social media using #BatChat:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/batconservationtrust
For more bat news, head to our website https://www.bats.org.uk/
Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatMan
Cover Art: Rachel Hudson http://rachelhudsonillustration.com/
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)
This week Steve is on the Norfolk coastline in the East of England visiting Jane Harris from the Norfolk barbastelle study group. Paston Great Barn dates back to 1581. It’s a huge thatched barn made of flint, brick and stone measuring 50 meters in length and about 10 meters wide. Despite it’s size, driving south along the coast road it’s very easy to miss as you pass its end flint wall and not until you glance in your rear view mirror do you get a feel for the expanse of the structure. Hidden away inside this SSSI and SAC is an important roost of rare barbastelle bats which emerge from the barn at night and either head off down the country lanes or to the cliffs along the beach to forage. Jane and Steve discuss the work done by the research group to discover more about barbastelles in Norfolk as well as this important roost where it all started back in 1996.
- Norfolk barbastelle study group website
- Their blog site
- A historic newsletter with a timeline of events at Paston barn
- The British Islands Bats paper than Jane mentions
- Norwich Bat Group Social Media
- Norfolk Wildlife Trust Social Media
Please leave us a review if you can, it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are.
Competition Time!
Two of this series future guests, children’s authors Angela Mills and Emma Reynolds have kindly donated prizes. Angela has donated a copy of Bobby the brown long-eared bat signed by both Angela and Chris Packham and Emma has donated a copy of her newly released book Amara and the bats. To enter the competition to win one of these brilliant books, all you have to do is write us a review about the show and the two winners will be picked at random at the end of this series. Not all podcast apps allow you to leave reviews, so if you’re an Apple device user, leave us a review on the Apple podcasts app which is already installed on your device. If you’re an Android user, you can leave us a review on the Podcast Addict app and if you don’t listen to the show on a mobile device you can write your review on the Podchaser website. Instructions of how to leave your review in each of these places can be found here. Remember, we need to be able to contact you if you win so when you leave your review, make sure you give us your twitter or Instagram handle in the review. If you don’t use these, drop us an email to comms@bats.org.uk with a copy of your review. We’re only able to post the prizes to addresses in the United Kingdom.
Join the conversation on social media using #BatChat:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_
Instagram:
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)
BatChat is back for a third series! Steve is on the roof of the biological sciences building with Professor Gareth Jones where he talks to Steve about just some of the research he has undertaken in his lifetime with bats. They discuss the work famously done to separate the two pipistrelle species back in the 90's, what Gareth gets up to in his spare time and the unusual behaviour found in fruit bat species which won Gareth the Ig Nobel Prize! Please leave us a review if you can, it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are.
- Follow Gareth on twitter
- Follow the Jones BatLab on twitter
- Gareth's Research Profile
- Gareth's Photography Website
- Fellatio by fruit bats prolongs copulation time
Join the conversation on social media using #BatChat:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/batconservationtrust
For more bat news, head to our website https://www.bats.org.uk/
Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatMan
Cover Art: Rachel Hudson http://rachelhudsonillustration.com/info
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)
Hello everyone it’s Steve here from BatChat here to tell you that a brand new series is going to be along on Wednesday. I know it’s been a long wait since the last series but we’ve been working really hard to join our guests out in the field so that you don’t have to listen to any more Zoom calls! So all of our guests this series have been recorded on location. This is just a little teaser, to give you a little heads-up that were coming back with some wonderful guests starting on Wednesday Nov 3rd with the brilliant Professor Gareth Jones. It’s a great episode I think you’re going to really enjoy it. Tell us how much you’re looking forward series 3 on the socials using #BatChat and a taste of what’s coming up in series 3 of BatChat is in this trailer. See you on Wednesday!
Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)
For the final episode of Series 2 we join Nottinghamshire Bat Group member Barry Collins at a Leicestershire Church where he talks to Steve about the works that were undertaken on the church to restore it whilst retaining the Natterer's bat colony living in the fabric of the building. Barry also discusses the importance of churches in the local community as well as how they're adapting to the 21st century and how he, along with dozens of other bat workers, are working with church communities up and down the country to find a solution to retain bat roosts whilst allowing these buildings at the heart of villages to be regularly used.
- Become a bat explorer in your local church with the Bats in Churches Project
- Find out more about Barry's work
- Follow the Leicestershire and Rutland Bat Group on twitter
- Follow Nottinghamshire Bat Group on twitter
- Follow Essex Bat Group on twitter
Remember we're on the lookout for stories and projects to include in the next series of BatChat so if you have a great story to tell, email comms@bats.org.uk
Join the conversation on social media using #BatChat:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/batconservationtrust
For more bat news, head to our website https://www.bats.org.uk/
Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatMan
Cover Art: Rachel Hudson http://rachelhudsonillustration.com/info
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)
The 2020 Woodland Symposium was hosted by BCT, six years after the inaugural symposium. It bought together landowners, ecologists, bat workers and professionals from the woodland and forestry industry to listen to talks from 15 speakers covering research, knowledge updates and case studies on woodlands and bats. We hear from three of those speakers as well as a couple of the 11 students who had been given a place at the conference by bursaries offered by the Back from the Brink project (check out episode 2 for more on that!).
- George Fisher talks about the Woodland Wildlife Toolkit
- Vikki Bengtsson on Veteranisation of trees and Vikki also discusses this topic on another podcast "Tree Lady Talks"
- Rob Coventry discusses Ash Dieback
- Follow Morgan Hughes on twitter
- Follow Eleri Kent on twitter
Join the conversation on social media using #BatChat:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/batconservationtrust/
For more bat news, head to our website https://www.bats.org.uk/
Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatMan
Cover Art: Rachel Hudson http://rachelhudsonillustration.com/info
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)
Chester Zoo is the most visited zoo in the UK with over 2 million visitors a year. It's also a conservation and education charity committed to preventing extinction. The fruit bat forest in the Twilight Zone exhibition is a fantastic visitor experience; Steve joins Dave White, the manager of the Twilight Zone, who explains how it's also used as an insurance population for the endangered Rodrigues fruit bat Pteropus rodricensis which is only found on the island of Rodrigues. Dr Claire Raisin the field programme coordinator for Madagascar and the Mascarenes explains how island-wide bat surveys which started in the mid-1990s are helping Chester monitor the nine main roost sites in Rodrigues. And finally we meet Helen Bradshaw the Estate Ecologist who amongst her many roles manages the native bat species roosts across the 250 hectare Estate opened in 1931 by George Mottershead.
Find out more about the project at Chester:
- Fruit Bat Forest
- Stories to Save Species in Rodrigues
- Mauritian Wildlife Foundation and their Facebook Page
- Follow Dr Claire Raisin and Helen Bradshaw on twitter
- Find out more about the Nature Reserve at Chester Zoo
Join the conversation on social media using #BatChat:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/batconservationtrust/
For more bat news, head to our website https://www.bats.org.uk/
Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatMan
Cover Art: Rachel Hudson http://rachelhudsonillustration.com/info
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)
Steve joins Helen Ball and other members of Staffordshire Bat Group as they undertake a winter hibernation survey for the National Bat Monitoring Programme (NBMP). Recorded in February 2020 in the Staffordshire Peak District, they undertake the latest survey of disused lead mines searching for bats deep in torpor.
Helen reveals what it's like to undertake the survey (it's a VERY steep hillside!) and what sort of things you're likely to find in old mine adits. Apart from the bats - lots of bats - there's other wildlife down there too and the surveys have revealed just how important the site is for the bats of the Peak District.
Find out more about Staffordshire Bat Group:
- https://www.staffsbats.co.uk/
- @staffsbats
- @derbyshirebats
The NBMP hibernation surveys: https://www.bats.org.uk/our-work/national-bat-monitoring-programme
The Big Bat Skills Event Online is back this February - Book Now!
https://www.bats.org.uk/events/big-bat-skills-event-online
Join the conversation on social media using #BatChat:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/batconservationtrust/
For more bat news, head to our website https://www.bats.org.uk/
Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatMan
Cover Art: Rachel Hudson http://rachelhudsonillustration.com/info
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)
The Bat Conservation Trust is a small conservation charity but undertakes a vast amount of work in their aim to conserve bats. During the runup to Christmas, Steve spoke with their Chief Executive Officer, Kit Stoner, to find out what it's like to run a small but busy charity, the current challenges and whether she manages to get out and do bat work in her spare time after work!
- Follow Kit on twitter
- Find out more about the upcoming British Bat Survey
- Discover the work we do
Join the podcast conversation on social media using #BatChat:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/batconservationtrust/
For more bat news, head to our website https://www.bats.org.uk/
Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatMan
Cover Art: Rachel Hudson http://rachelhudsonillustration.com/info
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)
In November 2019 before the word Coronavirus had become all-too familiar, the Scottish Bat Conference was taking place in Perth. In this episode Steve speaks to Liz Ferrell BCT's Scottish bat officer, Sue Swift who published the authoritative work on long-eared bats and Tracey Jolliffe who has an interest in zoonotic diseases and discusses bats and rabies.
- Book your place at the 2021 Scottish Bat Conference here
- Find your local Scottish bat group here
- Follow Liz Ferrell on twitter
- Follow Tracey Jolliffe on twitter
- Browse second-hand copies of Sue's monograph on long-eared bats here
Tell us what your favourite encounter with long-eared bats has been online by using #BatChat
Join the podcast conversation on social media using #BatChat:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/batconservationtrust/
For more bat news, head to our website https://www.bats.org.uk/
Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatMan
Cover Art: Rachel Hudson http://rachelhudsonillustration.com/info
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)
The weather has certainly got chilly in the last few days, but back in late October, it was still mild and Steve visited a bat colony which was still in residence in its summer roost. He meets up with Helen Parr, community engagement officer for the Devon Greater Horseshoe Bat Project. They discuss how the project has been received by the community over the last five years and what achievements its had whilst wandering around the countryside of the south-west, visiting the habitats that the largest Greater Horseshoe bat colony in western Europe relies on to thrive.
So tune in and discover how this National Lottery Heritage Fund project has been giving a helping, er...wing, to the Greater Horseshoes of Devon.
- Loads of info about the project, including live cameras, here: http://devonbatproject.org/
- Their twitter, Facebook and YouTube channels
- Devon Bat Group
- Vincent Wildlife Trust
Join the podcast conversation on social media using #BatChat:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/batconservationtrust/
For more bat news, head to our website https://www.bats.org.uk/
Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatMan
Cover Art: Rachel Hudson http://rachelhudsonillustration.com/info
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)
Winifred is the Chief Scientist at Bat Conservation International as well as an associate research professor in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
In this episode, Steve finds out about the discovery Winifred made about the ecology of Pallid bats whilst undertaking her PhD out in the deserts and chats to her about her work as a key scientist in the efforts to research the effects of White-Nose Syndrome, informing long-term management actions.
The two WNS websites Winifred mentions:
- https://www.batcon.org/our-work/research-and-scalable-solutions/white-nose-syndrome/
- https://www.whitenosesyndrome.org/
Follow Dr Frick on twitter: @FrickWinifred
Join the conversation on social media using #BatChat:
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/batconservationtrust/
For more bat news, head to our website https://www.bats.org.uk/
Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatMan
Cover Art: Rachel Hudson http://rachelhudsonillustration.com/info
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)
Remember seeing bats over your garden years ago and suddenly realised that they've vanished over time? Wildlife garden landscaper Joel Ashton reveals how you can help attract bats to your greenspace by greening up a fence and planting certain species to increase insect diversity which in turn will provide your local bats with a buffet! At the Bat Conservation Trust we have a vision of a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together and Joel is helping achieve that vision, one garden at a time. So tune in and discover how to get bats reappearing against the evening skies of your home.
- Joel's book 'Wild Your Garden': https://www.hazelwoodlandscapes.com/ is available from your local bookseller.
- Follow Joel on social media: @_joelashton and @Butterfly_bros
- Videos available on his YouTube site
Join the conversation on social media using #BatChat:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/batconservationtrust/
For more bat news, head to our website https://www.bats.org.uk/
Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatMan
Cover Art: Rachel Hudson http://rachelhudsonillustration.com/info
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)
A camping trip in the New Forest was the first sighting of bats that broadcaster, naturalist and writer Chris Packham had. He became the president of the Bat Conservation Trust in 2006 and in this episode recorded during the 2020 lockdown, Steve Roe asks Chris what it was about the Trust that made him want to become President. Chris tells us about the time he had serotine bats flying around his house whilst watching a European cup final and reveals some of the bat encounters he's had during his career as a television presenter.
As Halloween is nearly upon us we’re challenging people to take part in the great British #BatBake: https://www.bats.org.uk/news/2020/10/join-in-this-halloween-with-the-great-british-batbake
To discover more of the bat groups around the UK, head to the bat group pages on the Bat Conservation Trust website: https://www.bats.org.uk/support-bats/bat-groups
Join the conversation on social media using #BatChat:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/batconservationtrust/
For more bat news, head to our website https://www.bats.org.uk/
Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatMan
Cover Art: Rachel Hudson http://rachelhudsonillustration.com/info
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)
In this bonus episode recorded during the UK lockdown, we have two guests on the show. Tom August is a scientist based at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and Lisa Worledge is Head of Conservation Services at the Bat Conservation Trust. They talk to Steve about the interest that bats are currently getting in the press around the origins of the current COVID-19 pandemic, what bats can teach us about future pandemics and how some bat species have been practicing social distancing far longer than we have!
Resources mentioned in the episode include:
- FAQs around Bats and Coronaviruses: https://www.bats.org.uk/about-bats/bats-and-disease/covid-19-and-bats
- Good Practice Guidelines for Bat Rehabilitators: https://cdn.bats.org.uk/pdf/Resources/Bat-Groups/COVID-19-GPG-for-Bat-Rehabilitators_01May2020.pdf?mtime=20200501123411&focal=none
- The Sunrise/Sunset Survey: https://www.bats.org.uk/our-work/national-bat-monitoring-programme
- How to build a bat box: https://www.bats.org.uk/our-work/buildings-planning-and-development/bat-boxes
- How to find your local bat group: https://www.bats.org.uk/support-bats/bat-groups
Bats are magical but misunderstood mammals. At the Bat Conservation Trust we have a vision of a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. We know that conservation action to protect and conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats and their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever. To donate please go to: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
If you've got a great bat project or story to tell that you think other listeners would love to hear, drop us an email at comms@bats.org.uk
Make sure you're subscribed so you never miss an episode and let us know if you enjoyed the episode on social media using #BatChat:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/batconservationtrust/
For more bat news, head to our website https://www.bats.org.uk/
Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatMan
Cover Art: Rachel Hudson http://rachelhudsonillustration.com/info
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)
This week we have two guests on the show. Hannah Van Hesteren is one of the Helpline Managers at the Bat Conservation Trust. She talks to Steve about the vital work the Helpline does each summer when it takes hundreds of calls each day from members of the public who have found an injured or grounded bat.
Gail Armstrong was the recipient of the Pete Guest Award in 2019 for her outstanding practical contribution to bat conservation. Over the last 25 years, Gail estimates she's cared for 800 bats to date in North Lancashire. She discusses what it is about bat care that's so important to their conservation.
To support the Helpline, head to their JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/BatHelplineNeedsYou
Bats are magical but misunderstood mammals. At the Bat Conservation Trust we have a vision of a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. We know that conservation action to protect and conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats and their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever. To donate please go to: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!
If you've got a great bat project or story to tell that you think other listeners would love to hear, drop us an email at comms@bats.org.uk
Make sure you're subscribed so you never miss an episode and let us know if you enjoyed the episode on social media using #BatChat:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/batconservationtrust/
For more bat news, head to our website https://www.bats.org.uk/
Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatMan
Cover Art: Rachel Hudson http://rachelhudsonillustration.com/info
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)
Despite a number of our bats using trees as roost sites, we know surprisingly little about how bats use trees. In this episode Steve sits down with veteran tree expert Jim Mullholland from the Arboricultural Association and discusses what we still don't know about the ecology of bats and trees. Jim also touches on a project he's been working on recently using trail cameras as a surveillance technique to help understand this subject.
Jim has a YouTube channel with a number of videos of bats inside tree roosts. You can view that channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcxgmE0Z3NAW3n1yzTPohpA
To discover more of the bat groups around the UK, head to the bat group pages on the Bat Conservation Trust website: https://www.bats.org.uk/support-bats/bat-groups. Their Facebook page is here: https://www.facebook.com/ManxBatGroup/
Join the conversation on social media using #BatChat:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/batconservationtrust/
For more bat news, head to our website https://www.bats.org.uk/
Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatMan
Cover Art: Rachel Hudson http://rachelhudsonillustration.com/info
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)
The British Isles have a large number of islands around its coasts and some of these have bat groups. In this episode Steve discusses the challenges of being an isolated voluntary group with Carol Williams who is the secretary of the Isles of Scilly Bat Group and with Ani Binet who until recently was a resident on Jersey in the Channel Islands and an active member of the Jersey Bat Group.
There is also some news hot off the press from the Isle of Man Bat Group. You can read more about the exciting news at our press release here: https://www.bats.org.uk/news/2020/02/lesser-horseshoe-bat-found-in-the-isle-of-man
To discover more of the bat groups around the UK, head to the bat group pages on the Bat Conservation Trust website: https://www.bats.org.uk/support-bats/bat-groups. Their Facebook page is here: https://www.facebook.com/ManxBatGroup/
Join the conversation on social media using #BatChat:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/batconservationtrust/
For more bat news, head to our website https://www.bats.org.uk/
Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatMan
Cover Art: Rachel Hudson http://rachelhudsonillustration.com/info
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)
Steve heads to the Churnet valley in north Staffordshire to join Staffordshire Bat Group members Helen Ball and David Nixon for the day. Helen explains how a colony of Brandt's bats in one of their bat box schemes (started by the Vincent Wildlife Trust) have become one of the main study subjects in their small Myotis bat project which is taking place across the Churnet valley. In the evening, Dave explains the aims of the advanced bat survey techniques they're using out in the field to help with the study and discusses an interesting finding they've made where there appears to be no overlap between any Brandt's and Natterer's colonies within the valley woodlands.
If you're interested in finding out more about the bat work taking place in the Midlands region, the biennial Midlands Regional Bat Conference is taking place on Saturday 28th March 2020, more info and booking here: https://www.bats.org.uk/our-work/conferences-symposia/english-regional-bat-conferences/midlands-bat-conference
Take a look at the Staffordshire Bat Group website: http://www.staffordshirebats.btck.co.uk/
To find YOUR local bat group: https://www.bats.org.uk/support-bats/bat-groups
Make sure you're subscribed so you never miss an episode and let us know if you enjoyed the episode on social media using #BatChat:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/batconservationtrust/
For more bat news, head to our website https://www.bats.org.uk/
Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatMan
Cover Art: Rachel Hudson http://rachelhudsonillustration.com/info
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)
James has been involved in bat conservation since 2010 and has been involved in a variety of projects in that time including setting up Gib-Bats (the Gibraltar Bats Project) in 2013. In 2016 he was awarded the Bat Conservation Trust's Pete Guest Award for making an outstanding practical contribution to bat conservation. In this episode Steve joins James at a bat box check event just outside of Greenham Common in Newbury Berkshire before driving over to Bath to undertake some evening bat work!
Take a look at the Gib-Bats website: https://www.gibmuseum.gi/our-work/gib-bats
To find YOUR local bat group: https://www.bats.org.uk/support-bats/bat-groups
Make sure you're subscribed so you never miss an episode and let us know if you enjoyed the episode on social media using #BatChat:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/batconservationtrust/
For more bat news, head to our website https://www.bats.org.uk/
Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatMan
Cover Art: Rachel Hudson http://rachelhudsonillustration.com/info
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)
This is the second installment of a two-part special recorded at the Natural History Museum, South Kensington, London.
This time Steve Roe talks with Roberto Portela Miguez who is the senior curator in charge of mammals at the Museum.
Roberto tells the tale of how he and colleagues discovered that a bat preserved in a jar of alcohol which had sat on a shelf in the collections for 30 years was actually a new species to science. He also discusses what role the vast Chiroptera collection at the Museum still has for conservation in today's world.
You can read the original Natural History Museum article here: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2015/october/new-bat-species-found-in-museum-collection.html
Make sure you're subscribed so you never miss an episode and let us know if you enjoyed the episode on social media using #BatChat:
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For more bat news, head to our website https://www.bats.org.uk/
Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatMan
Cover Art: Rachel Hudson http://rachelhudsonillustration.com/info
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)
This is the first of a two-part special recorded at the Natural History Museum, South Kensington, London.
In this first half Steve Roe talks with Steph West who is the Biodiversity Training Manager at the Museum based within the Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity.
Steph discusses the need to train the next generation of natural historians using the Museum's scientists to decant their knowledge as well as some of the bat surveys she gets to undertake on the Museum's Estates and why she loves the nocturnal world so much.
Becoming interested in bats at the age of 12, Steph has worked in various aspects of ecology before her role at the Museum including work as an ecological consultant.
Acutely aware of the shift in conservation science, Steph also touches on how the NHM is changing to keep itself relevant in today's world.
You can find out more about the Angela Marmont Centre which is available for use by the public wanting to improve their identification skills here: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/take-part/centre-for-uk-biodiversity.html
Give them a follow on twitter here: https://twitter.com/NHM_ID
For info on the Wildlife Garden at the Museum, head here: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit/galleries-and-museum-map/wildlife-garden.html
Make sure you're subscribed so you never miss an episode and let us know if you enjoyed the episode on social media using #BatChat:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_
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For more bat news, head to our website https://www.bats.org.uk/
Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatMan
Cover Art: Rachel Hudson http://rachelhudsonillustration.com/info
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)
Episode five was recorded in May at the Wales Bat Worker’s weekend. The weekend brings together bat workers from across Wales and further afield and Steve speaks to four of them in this episode.
Naomi Webster the is the Training & Conferences manager at BCT and gives an insight into what happens at a BCT event.
Steve Lucas is the Wales Bat Officer and Species Legislation & Policy Specialist. He talks about bat work in Wales and what Brexit might mean for bat conservation.
Denise Foster has recently moved to Wales and is now heading up the Wales element of the National Nathusius Pipistrelle Project (see episode 4 for more on that!).
Jean Matthews sits on BCT’s Board of Trustees and talks to Steve about her work with bats over the years and what sort of things Gwynedd Bat Group gets up to.
To find out more about the Wales Bat Worker’s Weekend, visit https://www.bats.org.uk/our-work/conferences-symposia/welsh-bat-conferences/wales-bat-workers-weekend
For more details about the events that the Bat Conservation Trust is putting on this year, just head to https://www.bats.org.uk/events
Make sure you're subscribed so you never miss an episode and let us know if you enjoyed the episode on social media using #BatChat:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/batconservationtrust/
For more bat news, head to our website https://www.bats.org.uk/
Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatMan
Cover Art: Rachel Hudson http://rachelhudsonillustration.com/info
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)
In our fourth episode, Steve joins bat legend Daniel Hargreaves on an autumnal evening in Rye Harbour Nature Reserve on the coastal boundary of Sussex and Kent in the search of Nathusius’ pipistrelle. Dan gives us an insight into the ecology of this migratory species and what discoveries the National Nathusius’ pipistrelle project has had to date in its five year history. Dan is also responsible for setting up the successful ‘TriniBats’ project and describes how that project came about.
The National Nathusius’ pipistrelle project was launched in 2014 with a grant from the People's Trust for Endangered Species, to improve our understanding of the ecology, current status and conservation threats for Nathusius' pipistrelles in Great Britain.
To find out more about the project, including migration maps of individual bats caught discussed in the episode, visit https://www.bats.org.uk/our-work/national-bat-monitoring-programme/surveys/national-nathusius-pipistrelle-survey
Make sure you're subscribed so you never miss an episode and let us know if you enjoyed the episode on social media using #BatChat:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/batconservationtrust/
For more bat news, head to our website https://www.bats.org.uk/
Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatMan
Cover Art: Rachel Hudson http://rachelhudsonillustration.com/info
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)
Episode 3 was recorded in the Gloucestershire countryside at Woodchester Mansion.
The Grade I listed Victorian mansion near Stroud, which was abandoned during construction in the 1850s, has colonies of rare greater and lesser horseshoe bats, as well as pipistrelles and small numbers of brown long-eared and serotine bats.
The colony of greater horseshoe bats at the gothic manor house has been studied by Dr Roger Ransome and is thought to be the longest continuous study of a mammal by a single individual anywhere in the world.
Woodchester Mansion also offers sell-out evening bat walks in the summer, when the creatures can be seen flying out of the building at dusk to feed. Visit their website which lets you know the best time to visit the bats and details of any bat walks: https://www.woodchestermansion.org.uk/
Make sure you're subscribed so you never miss an episode and let us know if you enjoyed the episode on social media using #BatChat:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/batconservationtrust/
For more bat news, head to our website https://www.bats.org.uk/
Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatMan
Cover Art: Rachel Hudson http://rachelhudsonillustration.com/info
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)
In our first episode, Shirley Thompson MBE describes how bat conservation in the UK started and some of the experiences she’s had along the way such as meeting Julian Clary for a wildlife documentary and catching a bat in Kent which had been rung in Lithuania! Shirley is the person who set up the Young Batworker’s club and has been editing the Young Batworker magazine for over 30 years and she talks about how children’s communication has changed over the years.
To find out more about becoming a Young Batworker, visit https://www.bats.org.uk/membership/scheme
Make sure you're subscribed so you never miss an episode and let us know if you enjoyed the episode on social media using #BatChat:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust/
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For more bat news, head to our website https://www.bats.org.uk/
Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatMan
Cover Art: Rachel Hudson http://rachelhudsonillustration.com/info
Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.
Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!
Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.
Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)
We have two guests appearing on this episode:
Back from the Brink is one of the most ambitious conservation projects ever undertaken. Its aim – to save 20 species from extinction and benefit over 200 more through 19 projects that span England; from the tip of Cornwall to Northumberland.
In our second episode, we talk about one of the UK’s rarest bats, the grey long-eared with Craig Dunton – BCT’s project officer for the Back from the Brink project – and how the project has been working to conserve the species and reverse their decline over the last four years. Find out more here: https://naturebftb.co.uk/
We also talk to the 22 year old behind The Big Bat Year https://www.bigbatyear.com/ Nils Bouillard spoke to Steve whilst he was visiting the UK earlier in the year about the challenges of travelling the world to see as many bats as possible and how his adventure is helping spread the word about bats.
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For more bat news, head to our website https://www.bats.org.uk/
Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatMan
Cover Art: Rachel Hudson http://rachelhudsonillustration.com/info
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BatChat is the Podcast from the Bat Conservation Trust. Designed for its members and the wider bat conservation community, it talks to the experts as well as local heroes to bring you the stories from the bat conservation movement from the UK and further afield. Series One will be arriving in the next few days!
Make sure you're subscribed so you never miss an episode and let us know if you're looking forward to the series on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/batconservationtrust/
For more bat news, head to our website https://www.bats.org.uk/
Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatMan
Cover Art: Rachel Hudson http://rachelhudsonillustration.com/about
Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)