Introduction

This tutorial sets the NBMP Field Survey method out for you step by step. Ideally you should read through the whole tutorial if you have not taken part before.

If you have previously completed a survey, want to refresh your memory or just look up a certain aspect, you can jump to sections of interest using the links on each page. The section titles are:

• Introduction
• Planning your survey
• Detector tips and skills
• Surveying on walks
• Surveying at spots
• After your survey
• Sign up and further information

Identifying bats with detectors takes some practice and is not always easy even for those with experience. Don’t be put off if you are unable to identify bats 100% of the time - that is to be expected!

This tutorial will guide you through techniques used to identify the species in this survey, but you will still need additional field experience. Contact your local bat group to accompany other people and look out for BCT training workshops in your area. Practice identifying the pipistrelle bats first, as these are the most commonly encountered bats in the UK. Above all, enjoy listening and learning!

Please don’t forget to SIGN UP!

The sign-up is at the end of the tutorial in ‘sign-up and feedback’ and there is a link on every page.

If you wish to quit before the end, you can still sign up and leave feedback via the link on any page.

Even if you have signed up to the NBMP before please fill in the feedback by following the links to ‘sign-up’ at the end.

What Is The National Bat Monitoring Programme?

Of the 17 bat species in the UK, the greater mouse-eared bat is on the brink of extinction and has only been seen a few times since 1990. Four UK species are listed as internationally threatened according to the IUCN Red List (2006). Bats and their roosts have been legally protected since 1981, but it appears that many of our bat species have declined dramatically over the last sixty years.

For this reason, the Bat Conservation Trust has been running the National Bat Monitoring Programme (NBMP) since 1996 with core funding from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) since 2001.

The NBMP enables us to track changes in bat populations across a range of habitats with the invaluable assistance of a network of volunteer surveyors.

Since the NBMP began, more than 2,000 volunteers have completed surveys at over 3,200 roost and field sites, adding up to a remarkable 15,000 evenings of work.