NightWatch is a community science project helping you discover the hidden world of night time nature living in your neighbourhood.
If you are new to bat surveys and living in London, NightWatch is perfect for you. No experience or previous knowledge is required! We're working with the community to break the barriers that can make bat surveys difficult for some people. NightWatch is the perfect entry to the wonderful world of bats for people with disabilities and people of colour. Sound like you? Join the community today!
How does it work?
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You choose which night you want to surey between 1st July and 29th September and book your kit on our survey portal.
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A free NightWatch kit arrives in the post in time for your survey. It includes an ‘AudioMoth’ ultrasonic recorder used to detect hidden bats flying past during the night. Simply switch it on, secure in in place (your garden, balcony, or even a windowsill works perfectly) and you're sorted! On the same evening, you'll spend an hour over sunset watching and listening for night time wildlife using our handy guide to the sights and sounds of urban nature.
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Pop your kit back to us in the letterbox, using the FreePost envelope provided.
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We run your NightWatch recordings through our Sound Classification System and then you'll receive a bespoke report*, all about the bats you discovered during your survey!
*Psst. reports do take some time to generate due to the enormous amount of data our amazibg community scientists collect, so please do be patient with us!
Photo by Sustainably Muslim CIC at a NightWatch event in 2023. Want to work together in 2024? Email us at nightwatch@bats.org.uk!
A summary of what NightWatchers discovered in 2022
