🦇 Last chance to gift someone a membership or Adopt a Bat subscription for Christmas! Subscribe by 9am TOMORROW (8 Dec) to make sure your welcome pack arrives on time. For a gift membership visit: www.bats.org.uk/membership/s... For an Adopt a Bat subscription visit: www.bats.org.uk/support-bats...

As the weather gets consistently cooler and/or more miserable the #bats are tucking themselves away for hibernation. But, unlike bears, they don't typically sleep the entire winter away, typically waking periodically to adjust position, change roosts, or for a drink and snack in milder periods 🦇

#hibernation season has hit and I've slowed down along with the slow down in surveys, but did get out on another #dormouse survey just before the cold snap with some lovely chonky boys found, one at a whopping 32g!

VWT’s long-term monitoring of two of Britain’s rarest woodland bats – Bechstein’s + barbastelle bats, in partnership, uses ringing and DNA testing to provide vital insights into their movements, social behaviour and population trends, and helps us take action for the bats + their woodland habitats.

On occasion I go and play with things other than bats, today was one of those days. Nice results for this NDMP site with 4 juvenile's in one box, then a breeding female and very late babies in the last box of the day. 🤞🏼 for a mild autumn so they can fatten up sufficiently to survive the winter

🦇 The Bat Conservation Trust is inviting evidence from bat groups, ecologists, practitioners, local authorities, developers, regulators, landowners, statutory agencies, NGOs, volunteers and others on the impacts of solar farms on bats: www.bats.org.uk/news/2025/10...

Greater Noctule 🦇 research records hunting small birds more than 1km up in the air. www.izw-berlin.de/en/press-rel...

🦇 Review reveals how offshore wind turbines affect migratory bats, including Nathusius’ pipistrelle. Learn about risks, mitigation and next steps. Read more about this here: www.bats.org.uk/news/2025/10...

🦇 October Giveaway!! Any new members joining this month will be entered in a prize draw for the chance to win this Beaumaris bat box from CJ Wildlife! This would make an amazing Christmas gift or a treat for yourself. Join today: www.bats.org.uk/membership/s...

www.sciencenews.org/article/bats... Greater noctule bats 🦇 have been confirmed to hunt and eat migrating birds on the wing. Would love to meet this species one day!

[NEW PAPER OUT] 🦇 𝗕𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗱𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗳𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 ! A deep dive into optimal foraging theory and social foraging through this bat study: flight speed, tolerance to conspecifics, and adjustments in the presence of heterospecifics revealed via 3D tracking.

Proud to present our latest 🦇 paper! Using 13 years of data, we show that hibernation timing has shifted dramatically in two bat species, but in opposite directions 😮 Huge congrats to Gabi, Frauke, and the whole team. OA in @globalchangebio.bsky.social: dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.... Highlights in 🧵

All signs are pointing to 2025 being a mast year. The number of nuts trees produce varies each year, smaller crops over consecutive years keep populations of animals eating them in check. In a mast year, they produce more than the animals can possibly eat. We took advantage at the local walnut tree!

🦇 What is a roost? Here are some bat roost facts: 🪹 Bats do not make nests, but choose various places throughout the year to shelter, live and sleep in. 🦇 Where bats choose to roost varies between species and the time of the year. 📍 They don't stay in the same roost the whole year.

Feeling this one again! 😀🦇 We need to do a tally of our outreach events & numbers of people reached for 2025! It has been busy!

New OA 🦇 research 📄 Current frontiers in the passive acoustic monitoring of bats @methodsinecoevol.bsky.social @bat-cesco.bsky.social besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

🦇 At the National Bat Conference we shared the trailer for season 7 of our podcast, BatChat. And now we get to share it with you all! Returning on the 5 November.

🦇 Joining the Bat Conservation Trust is the ideal way to show your support for bats. By becoming a member, you will be adding your voice to ours in speaking up for bats and their habitats for future generations to enjoy. Become a member today:https://www.bats.org.uk/membership/scheme

Joined #Brumbats for a 🦇 autumn swarming survey last night, first time for me requiring a boat to set up, check and collect the traps! Weather didn't play ball for us so everything is hung up to dry today but a good night none the less!

Autumnal textures in the woods today

When asked what they would implement as a government minister, @kitstoner.bsky.social suggested legislation that would mean all present and future policy would be evidence based. She would also scrap part 3 of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. #WildSummitUK

The media needs to challenge the false narrative that nature is blocking development. The media has a responsibility to tell the truth. @kitstoner.bsky.social #WildSummitUK

🦇 More than echolocation: Bats use both sight and sound to hunt more efficiently in light: www.izw-berlin.de/en/press-rel...

🦇The recent issue of John Deere's THE FURROW is "Going Bats!" (publication spotted by @theoccasionalbat.bsky.social ) www.deere.com/en/publicati...

✨ I wish more people knew… bats are working for YOU. 🦇 From mosquito-free summer nights to tequila, bananas, and even chocolate—bats quietly make our lives way better (and cheaper). The bottom line? Protect bats, protect your fun! 🍹🍫 👉 Swipe through for 5 selfish reasons to love bats. (Deutsch)

The #NatBatConf 2025 conference photo. Thanks to all our delegates, speakers, exhibitors and sponsors (Thermal Vision and @wildlifeacoustics.com)

Final talk of the morning at #NatBatConf is from @annibinet.bsky.social talking about seasonal variation in bat activity levels at underground sites in Jersey

The #natbatconf 2025 is about to start @durham-university.bsky.social Thanks to Thermal Vision and @wildlifeacoustics.com for sponsoring this years conference 🦇❤️ #lovebats

Lovely female noctule 🦇 posing for me in the full moon light

This week I've been working with @batconservation.bsky.social and @vincentwt.bsky.social on a volunteer project at Mottisfont SAC trapping and tagging barbastelle bats and finding their roosts. Barbs love lifted bark to roost behind such as shown in this clip from last night 🦇

🦇We can't wait to see some of you in September at the National Bat Conference! In-person booking closes in 4 weeks time, on 21 August. Some workshops are fully booked already so get your ticket ASAP to avoid disappointment: www.bats.org.uk/our-work/con...

What bat is that? Can you tell the UK species just from what you see here? 🦇

Today's invert is the same as yesterday, but this time with a male joining the party. Did you know that glow worms are actually a beetle? They live as a grub for around 3 years before emerging in their adult form for a matter of weeks, during which they don't feed and use all their energy for mating

Today's invert on a bat survey is the humble glow worm. Weird looking little things, but very cool. In the UK there is a #glowworm survey website where you can record your sightings www.glowworms.org.uk

Did my usual forgetting to post once 🦇 survey season hit... along with forgetting to take any bat pics 🤦🏼 so here's a Poplar hawk moth I removed from a mist net last night instead!

🦇We are still looking for a Biodiversity Training Officer to support with developing, delivering, improving and promoting both in-person and online training to the woodland and built environment sectors. Deadline for applications is this Monday, 14 July at 9am.

🦇 The summer issue of our membership magazines is getting there! We can't wait to share them with our members. More information about becoming a BCT member here: buff.ly/LepvHvc

Please do this today for 🦇 and other wildlife.

🦇 Only one week left to get your early-bird ticket to the National Bat Conference - deadline is 15 June! Go to our page for more details and to book: buff.ly/k7Tnikc .

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🦇 volunteer opportunity

We are so excited for BigGive’s Green Match Fund Campaign to double all donations made through its website. This campaign will help to fund VWT’s work to increase its impact for the conservation of two of Europe’s most important bat species — Bechstein’s and barbastelle bats. bit.ly/4jrHygq

🦇 It's been 24h since our #GreenMatchFund campaign 'Strengthening the grassroots of bat conservation' launched and we've raised nearly 30% of our target! Please donate and keep sharing; we only have 6 days left to reach our £10K target: donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05... .

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Having a #gardening Sunday? Take a look at our free guides to make your #garden more bat and #wildlife friendly. #lovebats 🦇 #batsneedfriends #bats

The Bailiwick Bat Survey has engaged lots of people and made some exciting discoveries too such as the presence of parti-coloured bat #SEBatConf

This is a pivotal moment for bat conservation, and we need your help. URGENT: Planning bill threatens bat conservation – ACT NOW www.bats.org.uk/news/2025/03...

🦇 "This bat is not for sale" - and, in fact, NO bat is for sale. Whenever you come across a petition AGAINST the trade in taxidermied bats, please SIGN IT! There is no such thing as "ethically sourced bat skeletons"! Let's end the trade in dead bats! www.batcon.org/this-bat-is-...

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