Here you will find resources to help you discover which species are living at your property, what you can do to help your bats and how you can contribute even more to bat conservation.
As a responsible roost owner you are helping secure the future of these fascinating creatures for future generations to enjoy. We hope you enjoy discovering more about your tiny lodgers and continue on your bat journey!
Learning about your lodgers
There are 18 species of bat in the UK, but only a few are likely to roost in houses, such as pipistrelle species and brown long-eared bats. You might be able to tell which bats are living at your property based on where they are roosting and where their droppings are located. To learn more about your lodgers, please read our ‘Living with Bats’ leaflet.
Another way to try and identify which species you have is by listening to their ultrasonic calls (echolocation). With the aid of bat detectors we can hear bat's echolocation calls, and identify many species by listening to their calls or recording them for sound analysis on a computer. You can find out more about bat detectors and how to buy one here. Heterodyne detectors are the cheapest and easiest to use.
Bats have fascinating behaviours which vary throughout the year, from hibernating during colder months to bringing up their one tiny pup in the summer, your lodgers are always up to something interesting. To discover what your bats are up to right now take a look at our Year in the Life of a Bat calendar!
Looking after your lodgers
In an ever-changing world, your property offers a safe place for bats to live, but the local environment is also important for helping bats thrive. You can help your bats (and other wildlife) even more by making your garden wildlife friendly. Small steps detailed in our downloadable ‘Stars of the Night’ leaflet , such as planting flowers to attract insects, can make a big difference to conservation!
Registering and monitoring your roost
You may be interested in putting your bats on the map by joining the National Bat Monitoring Programme’s Roost Count. Not only is this an enjoyable way to spend a summer’s evening and to learn more about bats, but the results from this and other NBMP surveys are very important, as they enable us to track changes in the UK’s bat populations.
You can find more information about the NBMP surveys and how to take part here.
What next?
As well as sharing your home with bats and encouraging them, there are other ways that you can help bats.
There are over 80 local bat groups across the UK, made up of volunteers who are dedicated to conserving bats. Local bat groups often run events where you can learn more about local bats and may offer opportunities to get involved with bat-related activities in your area. You can find your local bat group and get in touch here.
Volunteers are at the heart of bat conservation in the UK and there are a variety of ways you can volunteer to help bats, which can be found here.
Finally, you can help bats by supporting the Bat Conservation Trust and becoming a member. If you are interested in doing so, you can find out more about becoming a member here.
