My nephew’s first birthday so planting seeds. Side note: Worms dressed as bats look great.

We need to talk about poor journalism and blatant misinformation. Tom Howard published this article in The Times today with the rage bait title ‘Scrap newt and bat rules to ease London housing crisis ministers told’ which is more than just bad journalism, it’s actually an embarrassing mistake🧵

What a lovely day at the Oxford Nature Festival last Saturday at @morethanadodo.bsky.social!🐝  A big thank you to everyone who made the Oxford Nature Festival such a great day. We loved chatting with many of you, the museum team and other stall holders, and sharing our passion for local wildlife. 🦋

🦇 BCT and 100+ organisations have sent a letter to the next Prime Minister of the UK to adopt 4 critical measures for nature. Join us & sign this petition to urge the next PM to take decisive action and reset the Government's approach to safeguarding nature: www.change.org/p/a-nature-r...

🦇 June is nearly over and flew by. In June, female bats usually give birth to a single baby, called a pup, which they feed on their milk. Young bats are very small (less than an inch) and pink with little to no fur. They will soon grow a thin, slightly grey fur.

🦇 It's not just butterflies this particular type of pesticide kills; it is also moths and other insects which bats and other wildlife eat and rely on. Please support if you can.

Back to Legoland, this time to do bat box checks! It’s a great area but we unfortunately didn’t find anything, although we did see fresh droppings so fingers crossed for next time. It was still a fun day, where we learnt interesting facts about badger fur and I came home with a bechstein!

Come and learn all things bats at the Nature Festival! Make a bat finger puppet, colour in a bat decoration, or walk the museum bat trail 🦇 Find out more: thenaturefestival.org @morethanadodo.bsky.social @bbowt.bsky.social @naturerecovery.bsky.social @ecioxford.bsky.social @oxbatgroup.bsky.social

Bats 2 #poetrychallenge

Bats #poetrychallenge

Interesting species of bat spotted at Legoland.

🦇 We're one week into June already; where did May go?! In June, female bats usually give birth to a single baby, called a pup, which they feed on their milk. Young bats are very small (less than an inch) and pink with little to no fur. They will soon grow a thin, slightly grey fur.

Bat lovers looking at the choice of animals you can select. www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/he...

🦇 BatChat is on pause but the work behind the scenes continues; our host, Steve Roe, is already recording episodes for season 8! Catch up with past episodes here: www.bats.org.uk/resources/ba...

We visited Otmoor last night, where Frank led a bat walk for RSPB volunteers to learn about who works the sky during the night shift. We suspect the cooler weather may have kept activity lower than usual but we still enjoyed appearances from noctules and pipistrelles – a fantastic evening!

The latest issue of Bat News perfectly timed by arriving on International Bat Appreciation Day!

🦇Join us and @ucllifesciences.bsky.social on 15 April, 5:00–8.30pm, for a screening of The Invisible Mammal followed by a Q&A session, bat walk and drinks at a local pub. This is a free event but you have to register here: lnkd.in/eRj6cbtY . Donations are optional but always more than welcome!

Had been looking forward to another visit to Bowdown Woods with James Shipman and others from the Berks and South Bucks Bat Group and it did not disappoint. Had a day of checking boxes and finally got to meet pipistrelles and a noctule up close - magic! Thank you, James!

Unnecessary or badly designed lighting is harmful to humans and wildlife, particularly nocturnal species like #bats, as well as wasting energy. Turn off your lights for #EarthHour www.earthhour.org But also explore how to reduce light pollution all year round. www.bats.org.uk/about-bats/t...

Had a great time at the Oxford Literary Festival yesterday, and it was incredible to hear questions answered by Michael Morpurgo, Isabella Tree, and BCT President and complete legend Chris Packham!

"We cannot continue to treat nature as separate to our economies, nature is our economy and all businesses have an impact and depend on it." - Katie Leach @green-alliance.org.uk blog www.bats.org.uk/about-bats/w...

🦇 #BatsInArt #PreciousBats #British #Contemporary #MonsterChetwynd Monster Chetwynd (b. 1973) BAT OPERA (HEAVY METAL), 2019 Three colour silk screen on mirrored silver polychrome card

Thank you to Philip Parker for his great talk last night. His commitment to the Bats in Churches project is incredible, even sleeping in churches overnight to complete surveys! That was our last talk of the season, but do join our WhatsApp group to stay in touch on projects for the upcoming season.

Happy World Book Day! What’s your favourite bat-related book? Which titles should we add to our shelves? Let us know!

Do you like bats? Do you like churches? If you answered ‘yes’ to either or both questions, be sure to join our Zoom talk tomorrow! And if you’re a member, be sure to join us at 7pm to hear more about the group and how you can get more involved. DM for more details!

Coming soon! The Social Lives of Bats edited by Christina R. Stanley 🦇 This ground-breaking book offers unique insights into bat society and relationships, from familial bonds, to friendship, group dynamics and even altruism. Learn more and preorder your copy ➡️ https://tinyurl.com/c97wpk7e

🦇 #FlyingFoxes Please #TakeAction to end the shooting permits in Queensland! You don't need to be an AUS citizen; just click "rest of the world" on the website, copy & paste the text. As @friendsofbats.bsky.social said: "Just send them an email wherever you are, tell them the world is watching" !

🦇 It's March! Bats may begin to emerge and signs of limited activity can be seen (if you haven't already!). There are small numbers feeding as it gets warmer. In bad weather, they may become torpid again.

🎤 Join John Lindley from South Stoke Wildlife & Conservation Group at #TVERCconf to learn how a small Oxfordshire village recorded 1,750 species! Get tips on surveying, ID, and community involvement. 🗓️ Saturday 21st March | 📍 Cholsey Great Hall 🎟️ Book now: https://f.mtr.cool/cxyikxncug

⏱️ One week to go! Use our simple template to take action to protect chalk streams. The proposed new planning rules mentions chalk streams for the first time ever. But we need your help to make sure this new protection is as strong as possible.

Very enjoyable, but would have benefited from more bats.

If there was a competition for best bat 🦇 house, this would get my nomination. Home to Lesser False Vampire bats…

‘Bats in Churches’. A talk with Philip Parker is to be held online on Thurs 5th March at 7.30 pm, with our AGM taking place at 7 pm. The link to this Zoom chat has been sent to our members. Should you be a non-member and wish to attend please send me a DM! #oxfordshire #bats #biodiversity

A massive thank you to Jo Ferguson from the BCT for her hugely engaging talk last night. We covered a lot of ground and some really interesting topics, clearly and concisely in a short space of time. Thanks also to everyone who attended - it was our largest turnout so far! #oxfordshire #bats

Just a reminder that this talk will be happening on Thursday, we hope to see you there! #oxfordshire #oxford #bats #batsofinstagram

A video sample every minute gave a fly-out estimate of these wrinkle-lipped bats at Nayang in Thailand yesterday of 225,080 bats, but “a bit more than 200,000” is perhaps a more honest view of the accuracy. I like the way the column keeps clipping that tree.

‘Landscaping for Bats, Biodiversity and People’. A talk to be held online on Thurs 5th Feb at 7.30 pm. The link to this Zoom chat will be sent out to our members soon. Should you be a non-member and wish to attend please send me a DM!

🦇 #BatsInArt #PreciousBats #19thCentury #Korean #JoseonDynasty BATS, 19th century Blue and white hexalobed dish, Joseon dynasty, ceramics

🦇 Bats are long-lived mammals which reproduce slowly: each female can only produce one baby per year and not all females will have babies each year. For this reason their populations are very slow to grow or recover their numbers. www.bats.org.uk/about-bats

🦇 #BatsInArt #PreciousBats #FranciscoToledo #MexicanArt #Contemporary Francisco Toledo (1940 - 2019) BAT ON YELLOW BACKGROUND (Kite), 2009 Stencil on handmade paper kite

🦇 Everything you need to know about the Nocturnal Garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show can be found here: www.bats.org.uk/our-work/noc... . Explore our pages to learn about the concept, why gardens are important for bats, the fantastic bat sculpture, the garden designer and more!

Merry Christmas, all! As a gift here is Kate Bush dressed up as a bat.

Thank you to all who attended our talk last night, and a special thank you to Stuart Newson from the British Trust for Ornithology. An exceptional and captivating speaker with an inspiring and bold vision, and a very unique recording studio!

Just a reminder that this talk will be happening this evening, we hope to see you there!

@natreswales.bsky.social published the first Species in Peril report. It outlines species at risk in Wales which includes six mammal species, five of which are bat species: greater horseshoe bat, Bechstein’s bat, Leisler’s bat, barbastelle and serotine. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...?

‘Unlocking Nature's Secrets: Identifying Bats & Other Wildlife Across Europe and North Africa Through Sound’. A talk to be held online on Thurs 4th Dec at 7.30 pm. The link to this Zoom chat will be sent out to our members shortly. Should you be a non-member and wish to attend please send us a DM!

The weather’s not great so would recommend ‘The Bat Man of Mexico’ should you find yourself looking for something to watch. Hugely inspirational and coming off the BBC iPlayer in 19 days.

Developers met ministers dozens of times over planning bill while ecologists were shut out

Wise words by Sir John Lawton: "There is no surrogate metric that can reliably assess conservation success or failure without knowing what is happening to populations of plants and animals in the landscape." Write to your MP today: act.bats.org.uk/urge-your-mp...

Thanks to all who attended last night, and a special thanks to Ian Tanner for his fascinating talk on late-season bat roosting. Our next talk will be held online on 4th of December, where Stuart Newson will discuss ‘Developing a European-scale Bioacoustics Data Management Platform'.