British Bat Survey (BBatS)

What is BBatS?

The British bat Survey (BBatS) is a brand-new citizen science survey making use of cutting-edge acoustic technology to increase our understanding of bats across Great Britain.

Following two successful pilots, in 2019 and 2022, this year BCT is rolling out BBatS on a national scale. The data collected will help to contribute to long-term bat population trends across England, Scotland and Wales.

BBatS and Passive Acoustic Monitoring

Passive acoustic monitoring involves deploying sound recorders into the field for a certain length of time to monitor wildlife and their acoustic surroundings. This offers a non-invasive and affordable way to collect large quantities of data and can provide many insights for bat conservation. BBatS will make use of this exciting new technology by providing AudioMoth recorders to volunteers, to increase our understanding of the distribution and occurrence of UK bat species across different landscapes, with specific focus on under-represented habitats, areas and bat species.

How does BBatS work?

You will be able to select a 1km survey square and book your AudioMoth audio recorder on the BBatS volunteer portal. Once you have selected your square, you will choose where within the square to place the AudioMoth recorder, which will collect recordings of bat calls over three nights. Once you have returned your AudioMoth to us, we will analyse the recordings to support our understanding of how bat species are fairing in the UK, which will feed into policy and conservation decisions.

How can I get involved in BbatS?

BBatS will launch this June and will run until the end of September. During this five-month period, you will be able to register for the survey, select your site and book equipment using our volunteer portal.

Stay tuned for more information.