East of England Bat Conference
Daniel Hargreaves setting up a harp trap
"Great, BCT organise the best events! Just a lovely atmosphere." Conference Delegate 2022
Thanks to our sponsor
This one-day event is an opportunity for anyone interested in bats, from hobbyists and volunteers to professional bat workers, to spend time together updating their knowledge, sharing best practice, developing their skills and catching up on the latest 'bat chat'. The day includes a mixture of talks on projects and new knowledge, and a choice of practical workshops. There will also be time for catching up with batty friends or making some new acquaintances.
Whilst the conference is open to anybody from any region, you may be able to meet people from the bat groups in the East of England: Bedfordshire Bat Group, Cambridgeshire Bat Group, Essex Bat Group, Herts & Middlesex Bat Group, Norwich & Norfolk Bat Group, and Suffolk Bat Group.
The next East of England Regional Conference will be held on 12 April 2025, at Ely College and on zoom.
Book the East of England Regional Conference here
In-person tickets, including a vegetarian lunch and refreshments are £50 for non-members, and £45 for members of BCT and partner bat groups.
Booking deadline: 9am 4 April
Virtual tickets, with a choice of two workshops on the day, are £30 for non-members, and £25 for members of BCT and partner bat groups.
Booking deadline: 9am 4 April
Programme for the East of England Regional Bat Conference 2025
subject to change
08:50 Registration opens
09:50 Talks start
- Assessing migration of bat species and interactions with offshore wind farms in British Waters - Jack Hooker, BCT.
- Danbury Living Landscape Barbastelle project - Graham Hart & Lynden Reed, Essex Bat Group.
Morning break with refreshments
11:30 Morning workshop session
See below for workshop options. Spaces are limited and booked on a first come, first served basis.
13:00 Vegetarian buffet lunch
Explore the stalls from our exhibitors and connect with old and new friends.
14:00 Afternoon workshop session
See below for workshop options. Spaces are limited and booked on a first come, first served basis.
Afternoon break with refreshments
16:00 Talks resume
- An update from BCT - Kit Stoner, BCT.
- Engaging with churches new to bats - Philip Parker.
- Sleepless in Snetterton: Protecting Hibernating Bats in Norfolk - Abi Gray & Sam Shelley, Norfolk & Norwich Bat Group.
17:00 Raffle and close
Workshop information
Virtual tickets do not need to book workshops, on the day you can choose between 'Identifying bats of Britain and Ireland' and 'Advanced Thermal Imaging Techniques for Ecologists' in the morning, and 'What next for barbastelles? Research, conservation & collaboration' and 'Biosecurity' in the afternoon.
It is important for in-person delegates to attend the workshop they have booked. Changing without checking with a member of BCT staff can lead to overfull workshops and others running when not viable.
Morning workshops
When booking your in-person ticket, you can choose one of the following 90-minute workshops to attend:
- MOTUS - Jane Harris, Norfolk & Norwich Bat Group.
Norfolk and Norwich Bat Group has pioneered the development of the MOTUS wildlife tracking system in East Anglia and is using it to study the migratory behaviour of Nathusius’ pipistrelle. The workshop will explain how MOTUS works, including installing a MOTUS receiver, setting up a project, data analysis and output. The results of the last four years work will be presented. Opportunities for expanding the MOTUS network and getting involved with the research will also be discussed. Please note this workshop could potentially run slightly shorter, depending on discussion. - *Capacity increased* Identifying bats of Britain and Ireland - James Shipman, Berks & South Bucks Bat Group.
James will talk you through the ID techniques of the 21 species currently found across Britain and Ireland with sections taken from his latest book.
If you have already booked but couldn't get onto this workshop and would like to swap to it, please email training@bats.org.uk. - Advanced Thermal Imaging Techniques for Ecologists - Andrew Milner & Jethro Block, Thermal Vision Ecology.
Thermal Vision Ecology is the only company in the UK devoted to providing tailored solutions for ecologists. Discover how their advanced software features, including flight tracking and event detection, streamline post-survey analysis and empower ecologists with data grounded in empirical evidence. This is also a fantastic opportunity to pose any questions you may have to industry experts regarding thermal imaging in ecology.
Afternoon workshops
When booking your in-person ticket, you can choose one of the following 90-minute workshops to attend:
- Advanced Licence Bat Survey Techniques - James Shipman, Berks & South Bucks Bat Group.
James will briefly talk through advanced licence bat survey techniques before demonstrating the erection of harp traps and mist nets. - Introduction to Sound Analysis - Parvathy Venugopal, BCT.
This session introduces bat call analysis using sound analysis software. We will use Wildlife Acoustic's Kaleidoscope software as this can be downloaded free of charge, but the analysis techniques covered will be applicable to a range of different programs. As well as species ID we will look at the links between species’ ecology and call characteristics. Attendees will be given a library of recordings of bat calls to work through which they can keep afterwards for their own use. - *Capacity increased* What next for barbastelles? Research, conservation & collaboration - Dr Charlotte Packman.
This workshop will review the current status of barbastelle research and conservation in the UK and discuss knowledge gaps, priorities and next steps. This will be a group discussion, seeking input and collaboration to come up with fresh perspectives and priorities for barbastelle research and conservation, with the aim of producing a summary and synthesis of the workshop’s outcomes and recommendations. All experience levels, from across the region and beyond, are welcome to attend to listen and/or share ideas and experience.
If you have already booked but couldn't get onto this workshop and would like to swap to it, please email training@bats.org.uk. Bats, human health and biosecurity: Effective disease risk management - Dr Allyson Walsh, BCT & Dr Maya Weinberg, Universities of Cambridge and Essex.
We need your help to protect bats through the action of biosecurity. This workshop will provide an overview of our current knowledge of the relationship between bats and disease in the UK and effective disease risk management. We will talk about pathogens, rabies vaccinations and the practical implications of maintaining good hygiene when handling or surveying for bats. We will consider how to do a risk assessment, discuss the new IUCN Field hygiene guidelines, and explore top tips to overcome the barriers to using PPE in the field. We will have a guest University of Cambridge researcher who studies bats and bacteria in urban environments join us.
The previous conference was held in November 2022 in Ipswich and on zoom.
The programme included talks on using camouflage to help bats cross gaps, surveying churches in Essex, Motus and migration in Norfolk, and understanding bat populations. There were a variety of workshops, with something to suit all experience levels, such as intro to the Nathusius' pipistrelle, sound analysis, surveying buildings, photo ID, trapping and tracking techniques, licensing and bat care ambulance driving.
To see the full programme click here.
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