Nathusius' pipistrelle survey - results of 2009 and 2010 surveys

After two years of the pilot Nathusius’ pipistrelle survey (2009 and 2010), 102 volunteers have taken part, surveying 114 sites. A big thank you to everyone who has taken part so far and helped make this pilot survey such a success. The survey was continued in September 2011 and the latest results will be summarised here in June 2012.

Nathusius’ pipistrelle presence was verified through sound analysis at 31 sites (27% of sites surveyed). A further 14 sites (12% of sites surveyed) recorded Nathusius’ pipistrelle from heterodyne field data but these records are not yet verified. Sites with unverified records will be a priority for revisiting with recording equipment in 2011. Equipment will be available for loan to volunteers on request.

Distribution of Nathusius’ pipistrelle pilot survey sites September 2009 and 2010.

Verified records are from surveys where recordings were made and Nathusius' pipistrelle presence was confirmed through sonogram analysis. Unverified records are from heterodyne detectors. "Unsure" records are ambiguous calls identified from heterodyne or through sonogram analysis.

An updated summary including results from September 2011 will be published here in June 2012. The aims for the September 2011 survey were:

• Repeat the sites surveyed in 2009 or 2010 that had so far not had verified Nathusius’ pipistrelle records as part of this survey.
• Add new sites to the site network in order to build up a more comprehensive picture of species distribution.
• Encourage participation in counties with no or low survey coverage to date in order to get a more even coverage across the UK.
• Increase the proportion of sites at which recordings were made in order to verify Nathusius' pipistrelle presence and collect data on other species at lakes. A limited number of frequency division detectors and recording equipment were available for loan to volunteers to help achieve this.

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