Whether you are a bat-beginner or an expert you are sure to find an event to interest you in the listings below. Year round the Bat Conservation Trust, local bat groups as well as conservation and community organisations arrange bat events across the UK from training courses to bat walks for families.
You will soon be able to add your events on our website yourself but for the time being please do email comms@bats.org.uk with details of your event: name of event, date, time and location, who is it aimed for, is it a paid event (if so how much per person), do people need to book (and where), contact details for the organiser for people who have question, website of the event if there is one.
Further information about the Bat Conservation Trust's Training Courses and Conferences & Symposia.
24th July 2019
Join National Trust rangers for an evening all about bats. Starting with a talk about British bats, we will then see and hear greater horseshoe bats emerge after sunset from old mine workings. Talk starts promptly at 8.30pm. Children with adult supervision welcome. Bring a chair or rug to sit on, warm clothes, and a torch is useful. Bat capes optional. £3 per person. Booking is essential as the date may change due to unfavourable weather 01208 863046
NBMP Introductory Bat Detector Workshop, Dunblane, Stirling, 26th July
26th July 2019
This introductory bat detector workshop involves an evening classroom session featuring videos, activities and quizzes followed by a practical field session starting around dusk. It is designed to provide attendees with an introduction to using a tuneable heterodyne bat detector and fundamental species identification skills, and enable them to participate in a UK-wide survey as part of the National Bat Monitoring Programme (NBMP). The focus is on the NBMP Waterway Survey, how to separate big bats and small bats, and on identification of pipistrelles and Daubenton's bat.
Bat and moth event at Fryent Country Park
1st August 2019
2 events in 1. Bat walk and moth trapping at Fryent County Park. All moths released afterwards! This event is open to the public and it's free (although donations welcome). Please bring a torch and a bat detector if you have one. Meeting point at the Car Park at OS Grid Reference TQ19550 87698.
Bat Night at Stowe Barton and Coombe Valley
2nd August 2019
An introductory talk about bats over a cup of coffee or juice at Stowe Barton followed by a walk through Coombe Valley with bat detectors hearing and seeing some of the bats which roost in this area. Children with adult supervision welcome. Organised by Cornwall Wildlife Trust Bude Group in conjunction with National Trust and Cornwall Bat Group. £3 per person. Bring a torch and warm clothes.
7th August 2019
Join National Trust rangers for an evening all about bats. Starting with a talk about British bats, we will then see and hear greater horseshoe bats emerge after sunset from old mine workings. Talk starts promptly at 8.30pm. Children with adult supervision welcome. Bring a chair or rug to sit on, warm clothes, and a torch is useful. Bat capes optional. £3 per person. Booking is essential as the date may change due to unfavourable weather 01208 863046
Bat event at Bentley Old Vicarage Nature Reserve
12th August 2019
This event is open to the public and it's free (although donations welcome). Please bring a torch and a bat detector if you have one. The meeting point is the car park at OS Grid Reference TQ15341 91736.
Guided Walk: The Bats of Bodenham Lake
17th August 2019
Meet at 19:45 in the main car park at Bodenham Lake Nature Reserve – but feel free to come and enjoy a picnic by the lake before the walk commences. O.S. Grid Ref (6 figs) for meeting point: SO529512 - Satnav postcode: HR1 3JT Led by James Bisset, local ‘batman’ and orchard enthusiast; an introductory talk on bats and orchards will lead you in to a short circular walk around the edge of Bodenham Lake, then via the River Lugg, Bodenham Church and old Bodenham village listening and looking for signs of those special “Angels of the Night” – bats. Free, loan bat detectors will be provided or BYO if you have one, along with a torch just in case! No dogs please. Not suitable for young persons under 12. Approx 1 mile circular route. Less mobile welcome, but we are sorry that the route is not wheelchair accessible.
Advanced Bat Survey Techniques
21st August 2019
Over three days and two nights, attendees will be given theoretical and practical experiences of acoustic lures, harp traps, mist nets and radio tracking. The course will investigate the application of these techniques in line with the BCT’s Bat Surveys for Professional Ecologists: Good Practice Guidelines.
Night safari - A search for spiders, moths and bats.
22nd August 2019
Night safari in Aberford park, Borehamwood. A search for spiders, moths and bats. Please bring a torch and a bat detector if you have one. Meet in the Car Park of Aberford Park Community Centre off Brook Road WD6 1PF (TQ19278 97319).
Warwick Bat Walk for International Bat Night
24th August 2019
Come for a walk at dusk in central Warwick to look and listen for bats. We’ll start at 8:15pm under the tower at St Mary’s and walk through the churchyard and Priory Park. The walk will be led by a representative of the Warwickshire Bat Group who will give a short introductory talk about bats. Tickets £7.50 can be purchased in St Mary’s shop (numbers limited, booking essential). Proceeds will go to bat conservation and St Mary’s church fund.
Going Batty at Grimsdyke and Gilbert's Orchard
28th August 2019
Going Batty at Grimsdyke and Gilbert's Orchard. An evening walk for our flying furry friends. Bring torches and bat detectors if you have them. Meet in the Hotel Car Park HA3 3SH TQ14197 92883. £5 charge per person at the gate.
Conservation and Technology Conference
6th September 2019
A one-day conference exploring conservation and technology for all wildlife (not just bats!) The conference will: - bring together wildlife conservationists, ecological consultants, researchers and technology experts to network and share their knowledge, products and techniques. - showcase new technologies, new applications of existing technologies and new developments in best practice
7th September 2019
The National Bat Conference is the biggest event in the bat calendar and booking is now open! A weekend of exciting talks, workshops and a conference dinner (with ceilidh!) on the Saturday evening. The conference is an opportunity to learn about the new discoveries in the world of bat conservation, catch up with old friends and meet new ones.
13th September 2019
Join the Cassiltoun Housing Association's Community Woodland Officer on this atmospheric walk as they use bat technology to listen to the sounds of bats, spot them swoop amongst the trees, and find out the lots of amazing facts about these creatures. **No booking required**
13th September 2019
A beginner's guide to bats involves an indoor session on bat ecology, followed by a practical field session (including utilising bat detectors). Wrap up warm and bring your (head)torch to look at these elusive creatures through the eyes of a bat expert. This event is intended for adults and children of 10 years and above and runs in corporation with the Bat Conservation Trust. The indoor session will look into bats as woodland indicator species, their ecology and conservation whilst on the walk we'll venture out at dusk into the woods, around the lower slopes of Glen Finglas, using bat detectors and interrogating the moth trap.
Climate Change: its impact on Scotland's Wildlife & Landscapes - CIEEM 2019 Scottish Conference
24th September 2019
The 2019 Scottish conference will focus on climate change and the potential impacts on Scotland’s wildlife and landscapes. The conference will focus on species distribution change in response to climate change and habitats of particular concern (montane and coastal habitats). There will be a practical aspect looking at long-term monitoring and ecological surveying and learning from each other how climate change risks and adaptation can be incorporated into EIAs. Effectiveness of management approaches in the light of climate change including natural flood management and peatland restoration will be considered.
Bat walk at Harrow Weald Common
1st October 2019
Bat walk. Meet in Old Redding Car Park TQ14339 92588
15th October 2019
This one day course builds on participants' existing knowledge and provides an understanding of trees and the techniques needed to survey them for bats effectively. The course combines theoretical classroom sessions with a practical exercise outside. Course content includes: - Legislation regarding trees and bat roosts - Use of trees by bats - Survey methodologies - H&S requirements for safe tree surveys - How to recognise signs of bat usage in trees - Evaluate potential tree roosts - An initial tree survey for bat roosts and use of appropriate survey equipment Prior knowledge: Please note that this is not a basic level course. It is assumed that participants will have attended Bat Ecology and Conservation, Surveying for Bats and Interpreting Your Bat Surveys, or have the equivalent skills and knowledge. Professional Training Standards met by course: Foundation Knowledge 1.5, Legislation, Licensing & Planning: 2.2 & 2.4, Preparation & Planning of Surveys 3.1-3.2, Survey Techniques & Equipment 4.3, Mitigating for Developmental Impacts 7.1-7.2
26th October 2019
QGIS is a freely available Geographic Information System (GIS) software package that can prove invaluable for bat groups and particularly Bat Group Recorders. This one-day hands-on workshop will provide an introduction to what the software can offer and how to use it, enabling bat groups to more effectively identify what they know and where they need to go to get more data.
13th November 2019
This one day course is for anyone wanting to improve their skills in recognising and reporting wildlife crime or when acting as a witness. This course is part of the Bearing Witness for Wildlife Conservation Wildlife Crime Project. The project recognises that wildlife crime is currently not always recorded, investigated or prosecuted effectively and this training course will help us to start addressing this need. Course content includes: - Recognising wildlife crime - Reporting wildlife crime - Assisting police investigations - Acting as a witness of fact and an expert witness – what to expect during police investigations and in court - Conservation impact statements - Wildlife crime sentencing and Proceeds of Crime Act.
Planning for Success: Maximising Biodiversity Through Planning and Strategic Land Use Management
19th November 2019
Arguably there has never been more emphasis on the environment in the planning and land use system. This is a time of opportunity. Green infrastructure planning, biodiversity net gain, natural capital assets, ecosystem services assessment, nature recovery networks – these are just some of the strategic approaches designed to make space for nature but how can we ensure that they are used to best effect? How can ecologists and environmental management professionals influence their development and delivery to achieve the best outcomes for biodiversity at a range of spatial scales? This two-day Autumn Conference will explore these themes through a varied programme designed to explore the new approaches offered at a national, regional and local scale, identifying critical success factors and the role of our profession in successful implementation.
Bats for Building Professionals
21st November 2019
This awareness course is aimed at anyone who is responsible for buildings and their renovation/development/maintenance, and those who carry out such work, including builders, surveyors, architects and pest controllers. This course will ensure that participants are aware of their responsibilities with regard to bats and are able to recognise the basic signs of potential roosts.