Field Survey
Survey period
1st July - 30th July
How to take part
Surveyors are asked to walk a triangular route in a randomly allocated 1km square on two evenings in July to record noctule, serotine, common pipistrelle and soprano pipistrelle bat activity with a bat detector.
Note: Serotine bats are only commonly found in southern England. In northern England, Scotland and Wales just the three other species are likely to be encountered. In Northern Ireland we ask volunteers to count Leisler's bat in place of noctule and serotine which are thought to be absent from Ireland.
This survey requires you to have access to a bat detector and previous field experience of identifying noctules, serotines and pipistrelles in the field, or at least to have heard the relevant calls on tape or CD. Sign up to take part.
For detailed instruction in taking part in this survey please visit the online tutorial.
Click to view a list of available NBMP Field Survey sites for 2013.
Making audio recordings
If you have a frequency division detector and recording device then please make recordings while carrying out your survey. Click here for instructions.
If recording to minidisc then it will be helpful if you can transfer your recordings to your computer and send them to us on CD. Click here for instructions on transferring your recordings using free Audacity software.
Other surveys
If you own a bat detector, but are not yet confident in using it to identify different species, you can still put it to good use by taking part in the Waterway Survey. If you have access to a frequency division detector (such as the Duet) and a digital recording device, you can take part in the Woodland Survey which focuses on the rare barbastelle. If you are interested in improving your skills we run bat detector workshops, so that volunteers can take part in our surveys. If you know of a bat roost near you then you might like to carry out a Roost Count or you could help find new roosts by taking part in the Sunset/Sunrise Survey.
This survey is sponsored by:
The Bat Conservation Trust does not endorse the services of our Corporate Sponsors
