Bat conservation and inspiring future scientists go hand in hand! 🦇

Our very first children’s Bat Conservation Workshop was held at the Exton Park, University of Chester campus on 7th February as part of an exciting Women in STEM Outreach Event! Students from local schools dove into the fascinating world of bat conservation, learning about bat behaviour and physiology, in addition to an array of monitoring techniques used to enhance species wellbeing and survival! Students were able to explore their creativity, making incredible BAT FACTS posters. The children developed an understanding of bats’ ecological value within our environment and the importance of preserving these fascinating creatures. Keen to join us on this rewarding journey to making a difference? Together, we can make a positive impact!

Watch this space to find out how our project will help fulfil this aim. Our UK bats are currently still hibernating, but we don't have too long to wait until our first field season!

Our First Visit to Lesser Horseshoe Bat Roosts!

We recently embarked on a series of expeditions through the scenic landscapes of North Wales, where we engaged with landowners overseeing Lesser Horseshoe bat roost sites. Our objective? To assess accessibility, foster partnerships, and develop effective strategies for collecting crucial data that will underpin the BATMAN project.

Under the guidance of Dr. Christina Stanley, members of our research team visited several roost locations in person for the first time, connecting with passionate landowners along the way. These interactions placed the groundwork for effective and vital partnerships. Landowner insights and cooperation are instrumental to the success of our research, and it was heartening to witness the local community’s active involvement in the preservation of bats and their habitats.

Each landowner shared valuable observations of the bats' behavior, detailing how they came to know and appreciate the roost they protect, challenges that they faced along the way and unique observations of the day-to-day lives of bats. These discussions played a pivotal role in tailoring our approach to each unique roosting site. By physically being at each site, we were able to plan our data collection methods to maximise efficiency and minimise disturbance. Understanding the lay of the land is crucial for planning effective data collection methods that respect the bats' habitat when the sun sets.

Stay tuned as we transition from daylight discussions to moonlit discoveries, sharing more insights, challenges, and triumphs from our ongoing research. Together, let's unravel the mysteries of Lesser Horseshoe bat behaviour and celebrate the wonders that both daylight and darkness reveal!

Raising the Profile of Bats at Halloween

This Halloween, the BATMAN team spread the word about how important bats are to our ecosystems! On Sunday 29th October, team members Lucy Morison and Chrissy Stanley joined a public engagement event, held at Cholmondeley Castle Gardens’ Autumn Festival and organised by the University of Chester’s Dept of Biological Sciences. Our aim was to raise the profile of bats and to share the objectives of the BATMAN project. We used a poster to illustrate our various avenues of research and demonstrated some of the equipment used during bat surveys, such as bat detectors. We had many great conversations about native bat species and how to study them. Lucy also made an excellent handout showing people how to make a bat box and insect hotel (providing valuable food for bats!), which was full of fun facts. Some of our favourites were that bats are the only mammals that can fly and they can achieve speeds of over 100kph. That makes them amongst the fastest living mammals! Adults and children alike asked some excellent probing questions about bats and their place in our ecosystem and many had their own stories to share about their encounters with bats. We look forward to future events where we can promote the profile of bats and change some perceptions, such as that bats are a pest species; in fact, we rely on them for a range of services, and without them, tequila production could be in danger!