BatChat

We've hit a milestone - and it's all thanks to you! In this special bonus episode, host Steve Roe takes you behind the scenes of BatChat: from the podcast's beginnings in 2018 to the present day. Discover how the show came to be created, what goes into producing each episode, and enjoy a previously unreleased gem from one of our most loved guests: Dr Bob Stebbings.What's Inside:

Send us a textS6E66 In this episode, we're in the charming market town of Frome in Somerset, where the locals take part in a hands-on citizen science event. Armed with bat detectors, participants are sent out around town to record any bats they spot.What makes this event even more exciting is the use of iNaturalist – a popular platform that collects and shares real-time wildlife data. As participants venture out at dusk, their bat sightings are immediately transmitted to the town hall chambers, where the community can track the results live on a big screen. By the end of the night, everyone reconvenes to see the collective findings and marvel at the variety of bats that call Frome home.See the results from the evening for yourselfUpcoming big bat countsInterested in taking part?Thank you to Wildcare for sponsoring series 6 of BatChat.Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout for 10% off all bat detectors and bat boxes. Use our interactive map to find the closest recording location to where you are and to see photos and additional material from the recording.Support the showPlease leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.ukBats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!

Steve spotted his first bats of the year out on the wing this week—a sure sign that spring's on the way. Have you seen any yet? Text the show to tell Steve about your first bat of the year and see if we can draw up a picture of where bats have been seen across the country during this spell of warmer weather. Don't forget to include your name.S6E65 In this noisy episode, we're taking you to the heart of the Restore Nature Now march in Central London, where 60,000+ passionate individuals gathered on June 22nd 2024, to demand stronger action for nature. The Bat Conservation Trust formed part of the march in the 'air' block which started adjacent to Hyde Park where Biggles the bat flew high above the crowds. Steve speaks to people as the march progresses to Downing Street and onto Parliament Square to find out what caused them to travel to London for the day.Restore Nature Now websiteBiggles the Bat's Instagram AccountBCT's page on the marchThank you to Wildcare for sponsoring series 6 of BatChat.Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout for 10% off all bat detectors and bat boxes. Steve spotted his first bats of the year out on the wing this week—a sure sign that spring's on the way. Have you seen any yet? Text the show using the link at the top to tell Steve about your first bat of the year and see if we can draw up a picture of where bats have been seen across the country during this spell of warmer weather. Don't forget to include your name.WildcareDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the showPlease leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.ukBats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!

S6E64 In this episode of BatChat, we're shining a spotlight on NightWatch, a groundbreaking community science project from the Bat Conservation Trust. Launched in 2021, NightWatch is the only initiative of its kind in the UK, helping people uncover the hidden world of nighttime wildlife while breaking down barriers that prevent communities from connecting with nature.Join host Steve Roe as he chats with Siobhan Dempsey at the Restore Nature Now march, where they discuss how NightWatch is making bat surveys more accessible—particularly for people from minority ethnic backgrounds, lower-income communities, and those with disabilities. With thousands of bat echolocation calls recorded across 750+ sites, and over 2,000 people engaged so far, this project is transforming urban conservation.But to keep NightWatch running, we need your help! We must raise £14,000 by June 2025 to ensure more people can discover the wonders of bats in their neighborhoods.

S6E63 Climate change is shifting the landscape—literally. But what does that mean for wildlife, especially bats? This episode takes us into the Connecting People and Landscapes in a Changing Climate project, a hands-on effort bringing farmers, landowners, and communities together across the South-West to make the countryside work for both people and nature.Thanks to support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the project is digging into how nature-friendly farming can help wildlife survive and thrive. We're talking to the people on the ground—farmers, conservationists, and locals—who are teaming up to survey wildlife, engage communities, and figure out what really works.

Got questions, thoughts, or curious bat queries? Text us—we'd love to hear from you!S6E62

Got questions, thoughts, or curious bat queries? Text us—we'd love to hear from you!S6E61 Recorded in the winter of 2024, in this episode we travel to the Northumberland coastline to a National Trust property called Seaton Delaval Hall. We're there because this property is home to the UK's largest-known pipistrelle bat hibernation roost. For many years we haven't really known where pipistrelle bats go to hibernate. Traditional hibernation surveys in underground structures rarely turn up pipistrelles and when they do they're in very small numbers. Our guest this week, Tina Wiffen, discovered this roost shortly after the National Trust took over the care of Seaton Delaval in 2009 and since then has been doing some detective work to help us understand where we might need to go looking ourselves.Tina's articles in British Island Bats are on pages 20 and 30 of volume four.Original news article from the BCT website when a large winter count occured.Fancy taking part in a hibernation survey? Find your local bat group here.Use our interactive map to find the closest recording location to where you are and to see photos and additional material from the recording.Support the showPlease leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.ukBats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!

Got questions, thoughts, or curious bat queries? Text us—we'd love to hear from you!S6E60. In this episode, we venture into the ancient Pengelli Forest in Pembrokeshire to uncover the story behind one of the region's most remarkable bat discoveries. Back in 2000, Margaret Clarke discovered presence of barbastelle bats, a species known for its elusive nature.Joined by Margaret Clarke and Den Vaughn, we revisit the discovery that changed our understanding of bats in Pembrokeshire and discuss how barbastelles have fared in the region since then. From the fascinating history of Margaret's discovery to the ongoing efforts to understand these mysterious creatures, this episode reminds us of how far we've come in the last quarter of a century.The barbastelle bat PhD that Den mentions is here.Find out about Pengelli Forest NNRNatur am BythGot questions, thoughts, or curious bat queries? Text us—we'd love to hear from you!Support the showPlease leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.ukBats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!

Got questions, thoughts, or curious bat queries? Text us—we'd love to hear from you!S6E59 This week, we're diving into an evening adventure at the stunning Tintinhull Gardens in Somerset, owned by the National Trust. Joining the Somerset Bat Group, we're on the hunt for one of the UK's rarest bats – the elusive grey long-eared bat.In this episode, you'll hear:

Got questions, thoughts, or curious bat queries? Text us—we'd love to hear from you!S6Ep58 In this episode of BatChat, Steve sits down with Phil Atkin, the creator of a groundbreaking bat detector that's making waves in the bat conservation community. Using the Raspberry Pi Pico computer, Phil has designed a cost-effective way for people to build their own bat detectors—for just £15!Join us as we delve into:

Got questions, thoughts, or curious bat queries? Text us—we'd love to hear from you!Step into the nocturnal world of the Knapp and Papermill Reserve with the Worcestershire Bat Group! In this immersive field recording, join us for a unique bat walk through the varied habitats of this Worcestershire Wildlife Trust Nature Reserve.This episode captures a real-time adventure as we explore the reserve at night, listening in on bat detectors and identifying an impressive array of bat species, including common and soprano pipistrelles, Daubenton's, noctule, barbastelle, serotine, and a lesser horseshoe bat roost hidden within the old papermill building.Along the way, we chat with dedicated members of the Worcestershire Bat Group, uncovering their stories on how they got involved with bat conservation and learning about the essential work they do to protect these fascinating creatures. Through their insights, you'll get a glimpse into the group's efforts, from habitat preservation to public engagement.Tune in to experience the thrill of bat detection firsthand and discover the diversity of life that comes alive at night in one of Worcestershire's most treasured reserves!The Knapp and Papermill Nature ReserveWorcestershire Bat GroupDiscover more about bat detectorsGot questions, thoughts, or curious bat queries? Text us—we'd love to hear from you!Support the showPlease leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.ukBats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!

Got questions, thoughts, or curious bat queries? Text us—we'd love to hear from you!S6E56 We're back with a brand new series! At the 2024 National Bat Conference at the University of Reading, zoologist and wildlife TV presenter Megan McCubbin joined us to chair a thought-provoking debate on ethical conservation. In between sessions, Megan sat down with Steve to chat about her career, her encounters with bats, and her involvement in the Restore Nature Now march earlier this summer.Plus, we'll bring you a couple of key updates from regional bat conservation activities over the summer. Then, back to Megan, who shares a conversation with Shirley Thompson, editor of Young Batworker magazine, on the critical role of the next generation in bat conservation. Tune in for these insights and more!8 out of 10 batsToilet block shock as lesser horseshoe found in DerbyshireWiltshire Wildlife Trust Bechstein's fundraisingGot questions, thoughts, or curious bat queries? Text us—we'd love to hear from you!Support the showPlease leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.ukBats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!

Send us a Text Message with what batty adventures you've been up to this summer!Get ready for an action-packed Series 6 of BatChat! This season, we're bringing you breaking news from the bat world, and that's just the beginning. We'll take you on a twilight bat walk, explore a buzzing night market with a twist and head deep into Somerset's countryside in search of the elusive grey long-eared bat. Plus, we'll venture into the heart of Pembrokeshire to uncover the secrets of a legendary woodland. Series 6 is filled with adventure, discovery, and a few surprises you won't want to miss! We're back on

S5E55 Sat in the entrance to a cave in Wales, hidden amongst temperate rainforest, Richard Crompton gives you his insight into the best way to go about getting your bat licence. Richard has been training ecologists for many years now with around 400 people coming to his courses over the years. In this episode you'll hear about the different bodies that give licences, the different levels of licences and what they allow you to do, which one you should aim for as a consultant ecologist and the sort of activities that are most useful. We also hear about Richard's journey into bat conservation and how he nearly took a job at the Bat Conservation Trust, before turning it down!Find Richard on twitter, Instagram and LinkedInRichard's Ecology on Demand websiteTraining courses from the Bat Conservation TrustThank you to Wildlife Acoustics and Wildcare for sponsoring series 5 of BatChat.Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout for 10% off all bat detectors and bat boxes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

S5E54 This week Steve sits down with Joanne Hodgkins, nature conservation advisor for the National Trust. Sitting in the hot August sunshine at The Vyne near Basingstoke, Steve finds out how the National Trust cares not just for it's special places, but for it's special wildlife. Jo explains how bats are now a day to day part of her role at the Trust, how bats are at the centre of most projects on their Estates and how bat groups are an important part of the story.Find the National Trust on twitter and InstagramBats at the National Trust webpagesBats and historic buildingsThank you to Wildlife Acoustics and Wildcare for sponsoring series 5 of BatChat.Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout for 10% off all bat detectors and bat boxes. Bat to the Future instalment 9…the final instalment; non-eponyms. A new feature for Series 5, Bat to the Future will delve into the history of the guys who have bats named after them. With each new episode release, this audio will be replaced with the next instalment so be sure to listen before the next episode comes out!Support the showPlease leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.ukBats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!

S5E53 This week we join David King who created the BatBox III and BatBox Duet detectors amongst several others for four decades. David tells Steve of how it all came about and they delve into the history of bat detecting, how the Bat Detective book and CD was created and we get an insight into his views on the future of technology used by ecologists and conservationists alike.  Find David on twitter and InstagramBatBox Ltd for their range of bat detectorsThe Bat Detective book and CDWant to find out more about bat detecting? Take a look at our guide.Thank you to Wildlife Acoustics and Wildcare for sponsoring series 5 of BatChat.Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout for 10% off all bat detectors and bat boxes. Bat to the Future instalment 8…Heinrich Kuhl. A new feature for Series 5, Bat to the Future will delve into the history of the guys who have bats named after them. With each new episode release, this audio will be replaced with the next instalment so be sure to listen before the next episode comes out! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

S5E52 Steve calls in to Canberra, Australia to chat with Dr Debbie Saunders.  For over 20 years Debbie has worked as an ecologist and studied the movements of small migratory birds. This includes the Swift Parrot, one of Australia's most endangered birds.Like many small animals, Swift Parrots could only be tracked with tiny, very high frequency (VHF) radio-tags. This meant that in order to understand their movements, researchers would have to regularly trek vast distances with handheld receivers to search for each tagged bird, one at a time. But because the Swift Parrot is a highly mobile creature, tracking them on foot was a near impossible feat.Frustrated by the limitations of radio-tracking manually, Debbie was inspired to develop a practical solution with wide-ranging applicability. Wildlife Drones is now an award-winning start-up that is currently working with a range of people across Australia, the United States and abroad to track the movements of some of the world's most endangered species, including bats.Discover more about Wildlife Drones and find them on twitter, facebook and Instagram~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

S5E51 Join Steve in early summer on the Island of Jersey as he sits down with a trio from the bat group. In this interview we hear about the historic work of the group and the sort of survey work being done at the moment on the Island. With 18 bat species recorded on this 46 square miles of land just off the French coast, we hear there's still plenty more to be discovered. Discover more about Jersey Bat Group and follow them on twitter, facebook and InstagramWatch the Jersey Bat Project video. Hugh the Bat is the face of the campaign. He is named after the late Hugh Forshaw, who was a long standing member of Jersey Bat GroupDiscover your local bat groupThank you to Wildlife Acoustics and Wildcare for sponsoring series 5 of BatChat.Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout for 10% off all bat detectors and bat boxes. Bat to the Future instalment 6…Johann Friedrich von Brandt . A new feature for Series 5, Bat to the Future will delve into the history of the guys who have bats named after them. With each new episode release, this audio will be replaced with the next instalment so be sure to listen before the next episode comes out! Google have announced they are discontinuing their podcast app so we recommend making the switch to an alternative podcast app such as:SpotifyPodcast AddictCastBoxPocket CastsAll apps that BatChat is available on are here.Support the showPlease leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.ukBats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!

S5E50 On the edge of Kidderminster lies Hurcott Pool and Wood Nature Reserve. An old boathouse on the edge of the pool has been repurposed by Worcestershire Bat Group and a few minutes away lies Lea Castle Village where the street lighting has been designed with bats at the forefront of its design. We join bat group members Cody Levine and Matthew Terry on a summer evening at the end of July. Watch a video of the boathouse on YouTubeDiscover more about Worcestershire Bat Group and follow them on twitter, facebook and InstagramTake a look at the Wyre Forest page on Hurcott.Read about the Lea Castle Village and how Worcestershire County Council are rolling out red street lighting across the county. Discover your local bat groupThank you to Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat podcast in 2023-2024.Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more. Bat to the Future instalment 5…Johann Natterer. A new feature for Series 5, Bat to the Future will delve into the history of the guys who have bats named after them. With each new episode release, this audio will be replaced with the next instalment so be sure to listen before the next episode comes out!Support the showPlease leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.ukBats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!

S5E49 This week we join BCT member Mark Ferguson who has just released his latest album; Walking With Bats. What does it sound like to go bat detecting? From start to finish, this question has underpinned Walking with Bats. Mark's main goal throughout the album's development has been simple: to transport listeners directly to the field, placing their ears where his are so they can experience the excitement of bat detecting through their own headphones.  Find the album on Mark's website or here on BandcampRead Mark's blog on the BCT websiteWant to find out more about bat detecting? Take a look at our guide.Thank you to Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat podcast in 2023-2024.Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more. Bat to the Future instalment 4…Johann Philipp Achilles Leisler. A new feature for Series 5, Bat to the Future will delve into the history of the guys who have bats named after them. With each new episode release, this audio will be replaced with the next instalment so be sure to listen before the next episode comes out!Support the showPlease leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.ukBats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!

S5E48 Jersey Zoo in the Channel Islands is home to 90% of the world's captive population of Livingstone's fruit bats. With an estimated 1300 in the wild, this captive breeding programme is vital to the survival of the species in a disaster event. We join Dominic Wormell inside the bat enclosure as he explains how they care for the colony and how the bats are received by the visiting public.Discover more about the colony hereHave a listen to our other zoo episode from Chester ZooMore about the species on the BCI websiteBat to the Future instalment 3...Louis-Jean-Marie D'Aubenton. A new feature for Series 5, Bat to the Future will delve into the history of the guys who have bats named after them. With each new episode release, this audio will be replaced with the next instalment so be sure to listen before the next episode comes out!Support the showPlease leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.ukBats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!

S5E47 On the edge of the Cotswolds lies Lacock Abbey, home to Professor Quirrel's classroom and the Mirror of Erised. But whilst millions of people will recognise the Cloisters of the Abbey used in the filming of the Harry Potter franchise, a rather special spectacle can be found here once the sun goes down. A soprano pipistrelle bat roost hidden in the roof of Sharrington's tower is regurgitated each evening from the mouths of the gargoyles that surround the tower. We join Wendy Priest as she undertakes a count for the National Bat Monitoring Programme on a calm June evening. Follow Wendy on twitter and InstagramDiscover more about Lacock Abbey and follow them on twitter, facebook and InstagramTake a look at the Wiltshire Bat Group's website, twitter, Instagram and Facebook page.Find out how to take part in the National Bat Monitoring Programme yourselfDiscover your local bat group Bat to the Future instalment 2...Hermann Engelhard von Nathusius. A new feature for Series 5, Bat to the Future will delve into the history of the guys who have bats named after them. With each new episode release, this audio will be replaced with the next instalment so be sure to listen before the next episode comes out!Support the showPlease leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.ukBats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!

S5E46 Hidden in west Dorset is a nature reserve which holds a very special secret. A bat box scheme which was installed in the late 1990's is home to one of the most well-studied colonies of Bechstein's bats. Join Steve as he spends the day with the Vincent Wildlife Trust and Dorset Wildlife Trust as they undertake one of their monthly inspections of the boxes, adding to this really important data which has been collected over the last quarter of a century. We hear from Patrick Wright, VWTs senior scientific officer about the history of the scheme and what new discoveries are being made, Steve Masters, Dorset Wildlife Trust's reserve ecologist who tells us why the woodland is such a special place and a familiar voice to regular listeners; Jim Mullholland who has recently joined VWT explains how the team are processing the bats as silver-washed fritillary butterflies swoop around the dappled sunlight hitting the woodland floor.Bats at the Vincent Wildlife TrustDorset Wildlife TrustDorset Bat GroupMaureen Keats dedicationBat to the Future instalment 1...Johann Bechstein. A new feature for Series 5, Bat to the Future will delve into the history of the guys who have bats named after them. With each new episode release, this audio will be replaced with the next instalment so be sure to listen before the next episode comes out!Support the showPlease leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.ukBats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!

BatChat Series 5 is set to kick off on Wednesday November 1st, with an exciting lineup of guests and fascinating interviews. Stay tuned for more great content and enriching conversations. Don't forget to check out the accompanying video on YouTube for more batty content. Mark your calendars, set your reminders and get ready for the return of BatChat!If you're new to BatChat, episodes are released every second Wednesday throughout each series taking listeners through autumn, winter and early spring with stories from the world of bat conservation.Support the showPlease leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.ukBats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!

This summer, in a major new exhibition, you can see how documenting the animal world has resulted in some of humankind's most awe-inspiring art, science and sound recordings: Animals: Art, Science and Sound is now open at the British LibraryPart of the exhibition is dedicated to darkness and Steve got to have a preview of what's on show a couple of days before the exhibition opened. In this interview with Cheryl Tipp, curator of Wildlife and Environmental Sounds, Steve discovers what can be heard in the exhibit as well as what bat recordings lie in the archive. Hear the recordings of horseshoe bats made on one of the first commercially available bat detectors; the Holgate Mk VI and you can see this detector within the exhibition along with photographs of the waveforms it could make from recordings. It sits alongside other important works such as Ernst Haeckel's Kunstformen der Natur (Artforms in nature) with the plate of bats on display. Cheryl also explains how you can submit your bat recordings to the library for adding to the archive.The exhibition is open until Monday 28th Aug 2023. Tickets and all the information you need can be found on the Animals: Art, Science and Sound website.Follow Cheryl Tipp on twitter.Discover more about John Hooper on page 13 of this journal.Listen to the Holgate recordings of greater horseshoes again on the British Library archive page as well as Cheryl's recording of common pipistrelles.We've been selected by the Big Give for this year's Green Match Fund; every donation we receive up to £5000 will be doubled. A huge opportunity to raise £10,000 for bat conservation. Donations must be received via the Big Give website between 20th - 27th April. We're running a Listener SurveyWe'd really appreciate it if you could answer a few quick questions about BatChat so that we can bring you the best possible content for future series.You can leave your answer anonymously if you'd prefer: https://forms.office.com/e/VAvudX7NFr Support the showPlease leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.ukBats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!

S4E44 - Bonus! The landmark nature documentary series Wild Isles, presented by Sir David Attenborough is currently transmitting on Sunday's at 7pm on BBC One. The fourth episode "Freshwater" features a fabulous bat sequence, recorded in Yorkshire of the phenomenon of autumn swarming. Back in November as the series had entered picture lock, Steve went along to the offices of Silverback films to interview assistant producer Lily Moffatt who worked on the sequence. Lily explains how they captured the shots and what sort of effort goes into capturing such a sequence for a blue chip production.Discover how you can save our Wild Isles and visit the BBC's series website. You can also re-watch the episode on the Freshwater webpage.Get in touch with the show - comms@bats.org.uk - if you have a story to share, are doing a bat project or want to submit a piece of writing or poetry.Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2022-2023.Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout for 10% off all bat detectors!Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more. We've been selected by the Big Give for this year's Green Match Fund; every donation we receive up to £5000 will be doubled. A huge opportunity to raise £10,000 for bat conservation. Donations must be received via the Big Give website between 20th - 27th April. Want to be notified when the page is live? Subscribe to our list here. We're running a Listener SurveyWe'd really appreciate it if you could answer a few quick questions about BatChat so that we can bring you the best possible content for future series.You can leave your answer anonymously if you'd prefer: https://forms.office.com/e/VAvudX7NFr Support the showPlease leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.ukBats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!

S4E43 As series four comes to a close, Steve sits down with a titan of bat conservation. Dr Robert (Bob) Stebbings is one of the original bat workers in the UK and in this episode we hear about some of the major bat conservation work undertaken by Bob over the last half century. Make sure you follow the show so you get notified of our two bonus episodes which will go out before the next series. The first of those will be an interview with the team who made Wild Isles and you can watch the trailer for this upcoming landmark nature documentary here.Night Winged was written by Helen Ball and you can find her on twitter and Instagram.Get in touch with the show - comms@bats.org.uk - if you have a story to share, are doing a bat project or want to submit a piece of writing or poetry.Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2022-2023.Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout for 10% off all bat detectors!Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more. We're running a Listener SurveyWe'd really appreciate it if you could answer a few quick questions about BatChat so that we can bring you the best possible content for future series.You can leave your answer anonymously if you'd prefer: https://forms.office.com/e/VAvudX7NFr Support the showPlease leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.ukBats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!

S4E42 This week Steve joins Chris Damant in the grounds of Cliveden House on the banks of the River Thames. As fine dining takes place in the hotel above them, Chris and his team have set up traps to catch bats as they arrive to mate in the middle of the night. Underneath the south terrace are a number of rooms which mimic underground structures and its these that the bats travel to from far and wide to undertake an annual phenomenon, autumn swarming. Cliveden hosts one of the most important bat sites in the country, with eight species swarming here between August and October.Read more about the work Chris has undertaken at ClivedenFollow Chris Damant on twitter and instagramTake a look at our ROOST website that Chris mentions in this episodeBook your place at the Scottish or South-West bat conferencesLeave us a voicemail! Got a question for the bat community or want some advice? Whether you're new to bats or a seasoned bat lover, we want to hear from you. Record your voice message here. Don't worry, you can hear it back and re-record it if you don't like it.Join the conversation with the hashtag #BatChatThank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2022-2023.Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout for 10% off all bat detectors!Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more. We're running a Listener SurveyWe'd really appreciate it if you could answer a few quick questions about BatChat so that we can bring you the best possible content for future series.You can leave your answer anonymously if you'd prefer: https://forms.office.com/e/VAvudX7NFr Support the showPlease leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.ukBats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!

S4E41 Tony Hutson has been shouting about bats since the 1960's and has changed the bat conservation landscape in that time. He was a founding member of the bat groups of Britain, the precursor to the Bat Conservation Trust. His survey work on the lonely greater mouse-eared bat inspired a play and he's been on expedition to a remote cave with astronaut Neil Armstrong. Steve sits down with Tony in this episode to find out more about Tony's work.Read our news story about the discovery of the second greater mouse-eared batSussex bat group's website, twitter and instagramLeave us a voicemail! Got a question for the bat community or want some advice? Whether you're new to bats or a seasoned bat lover, we want to hear from you. Record your voice message here. Don't worry, you can hear it back and re-record it if you don't like it.Join the conversation with the hashtag #BatChatThank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2022-2023.Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout for 10% off all bat detectors!Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more. We're running a Listener SurveyWe'd really appreciate it if you could answer a few quick questions about BatChat so that we can bring you the best possible content for future series.You can leave your answer anonymously if you'd prefer: https://forms.office.com/e/VAvudX7NFr Support the showPlease leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!

S4E40 In this interview recorded right at the end of August 2022, Steve is sat in a Norfolk woodland with Dr Charlotte Packman. We learn what potential impacts a new road in the area might have on the local bat populations and as Lotty explains it could have a significant impact on a nationally significant barbastelle bat population. Lotty works for the Norfolk Wildlife Trust (NWT) as their Conservation Scientist and the research discussed in this episode has been a collaboration between NWT, Wild Wings Ecology and the University of East Anglia. Lotty starts us off by introducing herself and describing where we are.Read the latest on the NDR from the Norfolk Wildlife Trust.Read other news on the NDR from the Norfolk Wildlife Trust.Our own position statement on the NDR is here.The Change.org petition can be found here.Listen to that other episode mentioned with Jane Harris at the incredible Paston Great Barn site.Since recording this episode the Norfolk Wildlife Trust have submitted a proposal to Natural England to consider the Wensum Woodlands for SSSI status. You can find that application listed here.Send a voice message to BatChat! We want you to get in touch with your favourite bat experience. It doesn't matter whether it was the first time you've ever seen a bat, you might have seen a brief shadow flying past as you were leaving your house, perhaps you've been checking bat boxes with your local bat group and saw bats up close for the first time or saw a bat species you've never seen before. Whether you'reThank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2022-2023.Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout for 10% off all bat detectors!Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more. We're running a Listener SurveyWe'd really appreciate it if you could answer a few quick questions about BatChat so that we can we can bring you the best possible content for future series.You can leave your answer anonymously if you'd prefer: https://forms.office.com/e/VAvudX7NFr Support the showPlease leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!

S4E39 Rodrigo Medellín is Mexico's very own 'Bat Man'. Since he first kept vampire bats in his bathroom as a child, Rodrigo has dedicated his life to saving them. On the evening of the 2022 UK National Bat Conference, Steve sits down with Rodrigo and asks him what it felt like to succeed in taking the lesser long nosed bat off the endangered species list and what it felt like to watch the bat volcano of Calakmul for the first time.National Geographic Explorer at Large Rodrigo MedellínRodrigo's twitter and InstagramBat friendly tequila brands Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2022-2023.Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout for 10% off all bat detectors!Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.Wildcare Wildlife Acoustics Support the showPlease leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!

S4E38 We return to London's Natural History Museum. This time however, we're in the bowels of the Diptera collection with flygirl herself, Dr Erica McAlister. If you think you recognise that name it's because Erica has graced the airwaves several times before including BBC Radio 4's The Infinite Monkey Cage and The Life Scientific. As you'll hear in this episode, Erica needs help from those of us who regularly handle bats. If you're a bat carer or a bat worker who undertakes bat box checks or trapping surveys, please start collecting all bat ectoparasites from bats and place them into vials of 100% ethanol. Make detailed notes about the species of bat they came from, the sex of the bat, located of ectoparasite & what the bat was doing at the time. A location & the habitat is also a must. As much info as possible! You can then post your specimens to:Dr Erica McAlister,Senior Curator; Diptera,Life Sciences (Insects Division),The Natural History Museum,Cromwell Road,London SW7 5BD.Your specimens will be added to the collection and your name will eventually appear in the digital collections.Bat and bird fly recording scheme websiteSee Piotr Naskrecki's bat fly image hereA short video of Erica talking about bat flies along with more photos hereEthanol can be purchased hereSample tubes can be Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2022-2023.Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout for 10% off all bat detectors!Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.Wildlife Acoustics Wildcare Support the showPlease leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!

S4E37 Haddon Hall, the private residence of Lord and Lady Edward Manners,  is set in the Peak District in the valley of the River Wye. With nine hundred years of history, it is one of the oldest houses in the country and moreover one of the only houses in England to have remained in one family's ownership for its entire existence. In the corner of the Hall, a large soprano pipistrelle bat roost resides within the roof of the Chapel. Steve chats with Lord Edward about rewilding of the estate, his conservation work in Africa and the fact that he has to clear bat droppings from his desk each morning! Find out more about wilding of the Medieval Parkland as well as it's ecologyWatch a video of the roost on the Derbyshire Bat Group YouTube pageAdvice about bats in historic buildings from Historic England, the bats in churches project and from this collaborative guide.Send a voice message to BatChat! We want you to get in touch with your favourite bat experience. It doesn't matter whether it was the first time you've ever seen a bat, you might have seen a brief shadow flying past as you were leaving your house, perhaps you've been checking bat boxes with your local bat group and saw bats up close for the first time or saw a bat species you've never seen before, perhaps you've counted a bat roost this summer and something unusual happened, maybe you heard what bats sound like on a detector and thought it was the coolest thing ever! Whether you're new to bats or a seasoned bat lover, we want to hear all about your favourite bat experience from this year. Record your voice message here. Don't worry, you can hear it back and re-record it if you don't like it.Join the conversation on social media using #BatChatProducer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatManThank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2022-2023.Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout for 10% off all bat detectors!Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.Wildcare Wildlife Acoustics Support the showPlease leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!

S4E36 You join us in a secret location this week. Back in 2019, Scotty Dodd from the Sussex Bat Group made the most significant discovery in the history of the bat group...the first maternity roost of greater horseshoe bats in Sussex for one hundred years. Truly the find of the century! In a small dry valley surrounded by beech trees, Scotty & Steve are sat in front of the run-down stable block as Scotty describes to Steve how he came across the roost and got the verification he was looking for.As you'll hear in this episode, the team need a lot of money to save this roost and improve it so that the colony has every chance of survival. So if you can,donate to the JustGiving appeal hereSee the roost on the VWT websiteSee what else the Sussex Bat Group get up to and follow them on twitterSend a voice message to BatChat! We want you to get in touch with your favourite bat experience. It doesn't matter whether it was the first time you've ever seen a bat, you might have seen a brief shadow flying past as you were leaving your house, perhaps you've been checking bat boxes with your local bat group and saw bats up close for the first time or saw a bat species you've never seen before, perhaps you've counted a bat roost this summer and something unusual happened, maybe you heard what bats sound like on a detector and thought it was the coolest thing ever! Whether you're new to bats or a seasoned bat lover, we want to hear all about your favourite bat experience from this year. Record your voice message here. Don't worry, you can hear it back and re-record it if you don't like it.Join the conversation on social media using #BatChatProducer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatManThank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout for 10% off all bat detectors!Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.Wildlife Acoustics Wildcare Support the showPlease leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!

S4E35 We're back with a brand new series! This week Steve joins a volunteer roost visitor, Chris Smith from Staffordshire Bat Group, on a roost visit requested by the Bat Conservation Trust. Chris discusses the value of the free service, how he got into volunteering for the visits and why he thinks it provides such a great positive outcome for bats (most of the time!). Hear how Chris undertakes the survey and provides advice to the roost owners afterwards. Want to know more about bats living in your house or how to tell if you have a bat roost? BCT have lots of info here.Interested in becoming a Volunteer Roost Visitor?Send a voice message to BatChat! We want you to get in touch with your favourite bat experience. It doesn't matter whether it was the first time you've ever seen a bat, you might have seen a brief shadow flying past as you were leaving your house, perhaps you've been checking bat boxes with your local bat group and saw bats up close for the first time or saw a bat species you've never seen before, perhaps you've counted a bat roost this summer and something unusual happened, maybe you heard what bats sound like on a detector and thought it was the coolest thing ever! Whether you're new to bats or a seasoned bat lover, we want to hear all about your favourite bat experience from this year. Record your voice message here. Don't worry, you can hear it back and re-record it if you don't like it.Join the conversation on social media using #BatChatProducer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatManThank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout for 10% off all bat detectors!Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.Wildcare Wildlife Acoustics Support the showPlease leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!

BatChat is returning on 9th November 2022 with series 4 and we want to hear from you!Yes that's right; you guys, your voices, on this show. We want you to get in touch with your favourite bat experience from this year. Maybe you discovered bats living in your house, you went on a bat walk for the first time or you saw bats somewhere you weren't expecting. Whether you're new to bats or a seasoned bat lover, we want to hear all about your favourite bat experience from this year.So how do you leave this message? Well you can leave us a voicemail and we'll play your recording here on BatChat!https://www.speakpipe.com/batchatDon't worry; you can listen to your message before sending it to us and re-record it if you don't like it! Remember to say your name if you'd like to be credited.Support the showBats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!

Hidden amongst the boughs of an Oak tree, Steve & his guests look down over the Knepp Castle Rewilding Estate; former farmland which has been allowed to return to nature by the owners Isabella Tree & Charlie Burrell. In this episode, as the sun sets the light turns golden. Below us red deer begin to bellow at the start of the rutting season, a green woodpecker calls out from amongst the tussocky grassland and bats begin to flit about the Oak canopy they're stood in. Our guests in this final episode of season 3 are Ryan Greaves and Stephanie Murphy. Ryan tells us more about the Estate and Steph explains how bat surveys have evolved over the years.Follow Ryan and Steph on InstagramFollow Knepp on twitter and InstagramFind out more about the greater horseshoes in SussexGet more audio from Knepp by having a listen to their podcastGet the history of the Knepp Rewilding project hereThe bestselling book Wilding by Isabella Tree can be bought hereIt really helps us as a show if you leave us a review because it helps other people discover that we existSeason 4Recording for series 4 is already underway and will be coming later in the year. We're looking for participants to share bat stores from across the UK with the podcast so if you're working on a great bat project or have a story about the bats in your area to share please drop us an email to comms@bats.org.uk Our Social MediaJoin the conversation on social media using #BatChat:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrustTwitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/batconservationtrustFor more bat news, head to our website https://www.bats.org.uk/Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatManCover Art: Rachel Hudson http://rachelhudsonillustration.com/Bats are magical but misunderstood mammals. At the Bat Conservation Trust we have a vision of a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. We know that conservation action to protect and conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats and their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever. To donate please go to: www.bats.org.uk/donate  Thank you!Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)

Discover the amazing work taking place in the dead of night each year by hoards of volunteers. This episode starts with Steve joining a team of these volunteers who are counting out a brown long-eared bat roost in the Derbyshire Dales at dusk as a nearby rookery gathers. We then sit down in Battersea Park, London with Philip Briggs, monitoring manager for the Bat Conservation Trust who collates all of this data sent in by volunteers and turns it into invaluable trends to establish how our bats are faring year on year in the UK.  The National Bat Monitoring Programme is one of the longest running citizen science projects in the world and YOU, yes YOU can take part! There are surveys which need no prior experience.Get involved with the NBMP yourself hereTake a look at the summary maps for each survey typeWatch footage of the brown long-eared roost being counted out by Jill in this episode here as the bats return at dawnRead the latest NBMP report to see how our bats are faringPlease leave us a review of the show as it helps us get BatChat discovered by other listeners. Instructions of how to leave your review in each of these places can be found here.Competition Time!We're running BatChat's first ever competition this series. Children's authors Angela Mills and Emma Reynolds have kindly donated prizes for our first ever competition! Angela has donated a copy of Bobby the brown long-eared bat signed by both Angela and Chris Packham and Emma has donated a copy of her newly released book Amara and the bats (see episode 26). To enter the competition to win one of these brilliant books, all you have to do is write us a review about the show and the two winners will be picked at random at the end of this series. Not all podcast apps allow you to leave reviews, so;if you're an Apple device user, leave us a review on the Apple podcasts app which is already installed on your device. if you're an Android user, you can leave us a review on the Podcast Addict appand if you don't listen to the show on a mobile device you can write your review on the Podchaser website.Instructions of how to leave your review in each of these places can be found here. Remember, we need to be able to contact you if you win so when you leave your review, make sure you give us your twitter or Instagram handle in the review. If you don't use these, drop us an email to comms@bats.org.uk with a copy of your review. We're only able to post the prizes to addresses in the United Kingdom. Join the conversation on social media using #BatChat:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrustTwitter: https://twThank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)

Join Steve on the Welcombe Hills overlooking Stratford-upon-Avon as he sits down with the author of Bobby the brown long-eared bat, a children's book which follows the adventure of a baby brown long-eared bat who lives in the attic of a farmyard. Sitting in the autumn sunshine on a wooden bench watching the world go by, Angela reveals to Steve where the inspiration for Bobby came from, how she got into the world of bats, the challenges of publishing as well as revealing what's next in store for Bobby!  Angela is on twitter and InstagramFind out more about Bobby the brown long-eared bat on his own website!Get your own signed copy direct from Angela from her online shopor order from here and 10% of the proceeds will be donated to the Bat Conservation TrustSupport your local bookstore by shopping on uk.bookshop.org where you can name your local bookstore to support them whilst you shop.Competition Time!As you heard in this episode, Angela Mills and fellow children's author Emma Reynolds have kindly donated prizes for our first ever competition! Angela has donated a copy of Bobby the brown long-eared bat signed by both Angela and Chris Packham and Emma has donated a copy of her newly released book Amara and the bats (see episode 26). To enter the competition to win one of these brilliant books, all you have to do is write us a review about the show and the two winners will be picked at random at the end of this series. Not all podcast apps allow you to leave reviews, so;if you're an Apple device user, leave us a review on the Apple podcasts app which is already installed on your device. if you're an Android user, you can leave us a review on the Podcast Addict appand if you don't listen to the show on a mobile device you can write your review on the Podchaser website.Instructions of how to leave your review in each of these places can be found here. Remember, we need to be able to contact you if you win so when you leave your review, make sure you give us your twitter or Instagram handle in the review. If you don't use these, drop us an email to comms@bats.org.uk with a copy of your review. We're only able to post the prizes to addresses in the United Kingdom. Join the conversation on social media using #BatChat:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrustTwitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/batconservationtrustFor more bat news, head to our website https://www.bats.org.uk/Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatManCover Art: Rachel Hudson Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)

This week Steve is on the Tortworth Estate in south Gloucestershire with Jim Mullholland. They're joined by a voluntary team of arborists who are assisting Jim with his 5 year project to create natural tree features for Bechstein's and barbastelle bats. By using chainsaws to create different crevices and cavities within living trees, the team hope that they will be taken up by colonies of the two bat species which are present in the woodland Steve is visiting today in this episode. The episode starts on a sunny spring day in an ancient woodland with chiffchaff singing in the canopy overhead. As the episode moves down to where the team are working for the day there's more background noise than you're used to on BatChat because the woodland is right next to the M5 motorway.  Jim Mullholland is on twitter and InstagramJim has a YouTube channel with a number of videos of bats inside tree roosts.The Tortworth Estate opens to the public on certain days of the year. Find out more here.Listen to our other episodes on veteranisation with Jim and Vicky BengtssonA guide to veteranisation techniques is at this link.Competition Time!Children's authors Angela Mills and Emma Reynolds have kindly donated prizes. Angela has donated a copy of Bobby the brown long-eared bat signed by both Angela and Chris Packham and Emma has donated a copy of her newly released book Amara and the bats (see above episode!). To enter the competition to win one of these brilliant books, all you have to do is write us a review about the show and the two winners will be picked at random at the end of this series. Not all podcast apps allow you to leave reviews, so if you're an Apple device user, leave us a review on the Apple podcasts app which is already installed on your device. If you're an Android user, you can leave us a review on the Podcast Addict app and if you don't listen to the show on a mobile device you can write your review on the Podchaser website. Instructions of how to leave your review in each of these places can be found here. Remember, we need to be able to contact you if you win so when you leave your review, make sure you give us your twitter or Instagram handle in the review. If you don't use these, drop us an email to comms@bats.org.uk with a copy of your review. We're only able to post the prizes to addresses in the United Kingdom. Join the conversation on social media using #BatChat:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrustTwitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/batconservationtrustFor more batThank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)

This week Steve is in Surrey at RHS Garden Wisley with Principal Entomologist Dr Andrew Salisbury. Andrew sits down with Steve in the brand new wildlife garden outside their new laboratory building to tell us about the work the RHS do and how we can improve our gardens for wildlife including bats. This week we also have a piece of nature writing by James Gilbert. James creates 'thumbnail' pieces and tweets them out and he's created a longer piece especially for BatChat called "Made with Echoes".RHS Garden Wisley website, twitter and InstagramRHS Plants for Pollinators listAndrew Salisbury is on twitter and Instagram and his RHS profile is hereInfo on how to garden for bats can be found on our websiteJames Gilbert is on twitterMorgan Brind who narrated Made with Echoes is on twitter and InstagramIf you have a piece of nature writing or poetry about bats that you'd like to share with us, drop us an email to comms@bats.org.uk and your piece may end up on the show!Competition Time!Children's authors Angela Mills and Emma Reynolds have kindly donated prizes. Angela has donated a copy of Bobby the brown long-eared bat signed by both Angela and Chris Packham and Emma has donated a copy of her newly released book Amara and the bats (see above episode!). To enter the competition to win one of these brilliant books, all you have to do is write us a review about the show and the two winners will be picked at random at the end of this series. Not all podcast apps allow you to leave reviews, so if you're an Apple device user, leave us a review on the Apple podcasts app which is already installed on your device. If you're an Android user, you can leave us a review on the Podcast Addict app and if you don't listen to the show on a mobile device you can write your review on the Podchaser website. Instructions of how to leave your review in each of these places can be found here. Remember, we need to be able to contact you if you win so when you leave your review, make sure you give us your twitter or Instagram handle in the review. If you don't use these, drop us an email to comms@bats.org.uk with a copy of your review. We're only able to post the prizes to addresses in the United Kingdom. Join the conversation on social media using #BatChat:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrustTwitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_Instagram: Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)

This week Steve joins Martyn Cooke outside a holiday cottage in Staffordshire as they set up a matrix of bat detectors to record the sound of Brandt's bats emerging from their roost before flying into the adjacent woodland. Martyn explains why he is recording the calls, why he's travelled all the way from Surrey to record these bats and what the calls will be used for. Steve finds out how an injured serotine bat got Martyn hooked on bats and they talk about the advances in automatic bat call identification.If you're interested in finding out more about bat detectors, your local bat group are likely to be able to lend you a detector and you can learn more about them on our website here.   Listen to our earlier episode from series one about Brandt's in the Churnet valley here.Follow Martyn on twitterBorrow detectors from us to help us grow the call libraryBat Detector InfoLow cost AudioMoth detectors on twitterPlease leave us a review if you can, it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are.Competition Time!Two of this series future guests, children's authors Angela Mills and Emma Reynolds have kindly donated prizes. Angela has donated a copy of Bobby the brown long-eared bat signed by both Angela and Chris Packham and Emma has donated a copy of her newly released book Amara and the bats. To enter the competition to win one of these brilliant books, all you have to do is write us a review about the show and the two winners will be picked at random at the end of this series. Not all podcast apps allow you to leave reviews, so if you're an Apple device user, leave us a review on the Apple podcasts app which is already installed on your device. If you're an Android user, you can leave us a review on the Podcast Addict app and if you don't listen to the show on a mobile device you can write your review on the Podchaser website. Instructions of how to leave your review in each of these places can be found here. Remember, we need to be able to contact you if you win so when you leave your review, make sure you give us your twitter or Instagram handle in the review. If you don't use these, drop us an email to comms@bats.org.uk with a copy of your review. We're only able to post the prizes to addresses in the United Kingdom. Join the conversation on social media using #BatChatProducer: Steve RoeThank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)

This week Steve is joined in a Derbyshire churchyard by Jon Russ who is an expert on bat echolocation calls. They discuss how Jon got into studying bat calls, his latest book on the subject and his passion for Nathusius' pipistrelle bats. Jon's latest book "Bat Calls of Britain and Europe" is available from Pelagic Publishing and is aimed at anyone interested in bat echolocation. It contains introductory chapters to the subject as well as more advanced topics such as sound analysis. As Jon says in this episode if you want to get into learning about bat calls the best place to start is to get hold of a bat detector. Your local bat group are likely to be able to lend you a detector and you can learn more about them on our website here. Jon's other passion is Nathusius' pipistrelles and he runs the website dedicated to this species containing distribution maps, identification tips and other information about their ecology.  Listen to our earlier episode about Nathusius' pipistrelles with Dan Hargreaves here.Bat Calls of Britain and Europe Bat Detector InfoNathusius' pipistrelle websitePlease leave us a review if you can, it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are.Competition Time!Two of this series future guests, children's authors Angela Mills and Emma Reynolds have kindly donated prizes. Angela has donated a copy of Bobby the brown long-eared bat signed by both Angela and Chris Packham and Emma has donated a copy of her newly released book Amara and the bats. To enter the competition to win one of these brilliant books, all you have to do is write us a review about the show and the two winners will be picked at random at the end of this series. Not all podcast apps allow you to leave reviews, so if you're an Apple device user, leave us a review on the Apple podcasts app which is already installed on your device. If you're an Android user, you can leave us a review on the Podcast Addict app and if you don't listen to the show on a mobile device you can write your review on the Podchaser website. Instructions of how to leave your review in each of these places can be found here. Remember, we need to be able to contact you if you win so when you leave your review, make sure you give us your twitter or Instagram handle in the review. If you don't use these, drop us an email to comms@bats.org.uk with a copy of your review. We're only able to post the prizes to addresses in the United Kingdom. Join the conversation on social media using #BatChatProducer: Steve Roe Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)

This week Steve is in the Lake District National Park with Ecologist and Chair of south Cumbria Bat Group Rich Flight. Rich published the findings of a study called "Bats with Altitude" in the journal British Island Bats in 2021 and he sits down with Steve to tell us about what inspired the project, what bats were found at over 500m on the mountainsides and how volunteers surveyed for bats in challenging upland conditions.Bats with Altitude paper (page 105) published in British Island Bats where photos of the study sites and maps are availableRich's InstagramRich's twitterSouth Cumbria Bat Group websiteCumberland Bat Group websiteCompetition Time!Children's authors Angela Mills and Emma Reynolds have kindly donated prizes. Angela has donated a copy of Bobby the brown long-eared bat signed by both Angela and Chris Packham and Emma has donated a copy of her newly released book Amara and the bats (see above episode!). To enter the competition to win one of these brilliant books, all you have to do is write us a review about the show and the two winners will be picked at random at the end of this series. Not all podcast apps allow you to leave reviews, so if you're an Apple device user, leave us a review on the Apple podcasts app which is already installed on your device. If you're an Android user, you can leave us a review on the Podcast Addict app and if you don't listen to the show on a mobile device you can write your review on the Podchaser website. Instructions of how to leave your review in each of these places can be found here. Remember, we need to be able to contact you if you win so when you leave your review, make sure you give us your twitter or Instagram handle in the review. If you don't use these, drop us an email to comms@bats.org.uk with a copy of your review. We're only able to post the prizes to addresses in the United Kingdom. Join the conversation on social media using #BatChat:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrustTwitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/batconservationtrustFor more bat news, head to our website https://www.bats.org.uk/Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatManCover Art: Rachel Hudson http://rachelhudsonillustration.com/Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2021-2022.Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)

This week Steve is at Chorlton Water Park Nature Reserve in Manchester with author and illustrator Emma Reynolds. Emma's debut author-illustrator book "Amara and the Bats" was published here in the UK in July 2021 and she sits down with Steve to tell us how the book has been received, what she thinks the future of children's books holds and what it was that inspired her to write a kids book about bats.Emma's websiteAmara and the Bats publisher websiteBuy your books and support your local bookstore using Bookshop.orgEmma's shop (including pin badges, stickers & cards)#KidLit4ClimateEmma's Instagram (where you can watch Bat Club Live on Tuesdays or watch the back-catalogue whenever you like)Emma's twitterCompetition Time!Children's authors Angela Mills and Emma Reynolds have kindly donated prizes. Angela has donated a copy of Bobby the brown long-eared bat signed by both Angela and Chris Packham and Emma has donated a copy of her newly released book Amara and the bats (see above episode!). To enter the competition to win one of these brilliant books, all you have to do is write us a review about the show and the two winners will be picked at random at the end of this series. Not all podcast apps allow you to leave reviews, so if you're an Apple device user, leave us a review on the Apple podcasts app which is already installed on your device. If you're an Android user, you can leave us a review on the Podcast Addict app and if you don't listen to the show on a mobile device you can write your review on the Podchaser website. Instructions of how to leave your review in each of these places can be found here. Remember, we need to be able to contact you if you win so when you leave your review, make sure you give us your twitter or Instagram handle in the review. If you don't use these, drop us an email to comms@bats.org.uk with a copy of your review. We're only able to post the prizes to addresses in the United Kingdom. Join the conversation on social media using #BatChat:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrustTwitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/batconservationtrustFor more bat news, head to our website https://www.bats.org.uk/Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatManCover Art: Rachel Hudson http://rachelhudsonillustration.com/Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast.Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout to redeem a free gift!Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)

This week Steve is on the Norfolk coastline in the East of England visiting Jane Harris from the Norfolk barbastelle study group. Paston Great Barn dates back to 1581. It's a huge thatched barn made of flint, brick and stone measuring 50 meters in length and about 10 meters wide. Despite it's size, driving south along the coast road it's very easy to miss as you pass its end flint wall and not until you glance in your rear view mirror do you get a feel for the expanse of the structure. Hidden away inside this SSSI and SAC is an important roost of rare barbastelle bats which emerge from the barn at night and either head off down the country lanes or to the cliffs along the beach to forage. Jane and Steve discuss the work done by the research group to discover more about barbastelles in Norfolk as well as this important roost where it all started back in 1996.Norfolk barbastelle study group websiteTheir blog siteA historic newsletter with a timeline of events at Paston barnNorwich Bat Group Social MediaNorfolk Wildlife Trust Social MediaPlease leave us a review if you can, it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are.Competition Time!Two of this series future guests, children's authors Angela Mills and Emma Reynolds have kindly donated prizes. Angela has donated a copy of Bobby the brown long-eared bat signed by both Angela and Chris Packham and Emma has donated a copy of her newly released book Amara and the bats. To enter the competition to win one of these brilliant books, all you have to do is write us a review about the show and the two winners will be picked at random at the end of this series. Not all podcast apps allow you to leave reviews, so if you're an Apple device user, leave us a review on the Apple podcasts app which is already installed on your device. If you're an Android user, you can leave us a review on the Podcast Addict app and if you don't listen to the show on a mobile device you can write your review on the Podchaser website. Instructions of how to leave your review in each of these places can be found here. Remember, we need to be able to contact you if you win so when you leave your review, make sure you give us your twitter or Instagram handle in the review. If you don't use these, drop us an email to comms@bats.org.uk with a copy of your review. We're only able to post the prizes to addresses in the United Kingdom. Join the conversation on social media using #BatChat:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrustTwitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/batconservationtrustFor more bat news, head to our website https://www.bats.org.uk/Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatManCover Art: Rachel Hudson http://rachelhudsonillustration.com/infoSupport the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)

BatChat is back for a third series! Steve is on the roof of the biological sciences building with Professor Gareth Jones where he talks to Steve about just some of the research he has undertaken in his lifetime with bats. They discuss the work famously done to separate the two pipistrelle species back in the 90's, what Gareth gets up to in his spare time and the unusual behaviour found in fruit bat species which won Gareth the Ig Nobel Prize! Please leave us a review if you can, it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are.Follow Gareth on twitterFollow the Jones BatLab on twitterGareth's Research ProfileGareth's Photography WebsiteFellatio by fruit bats prolongs copulation timeJoin the conversation on social media using #BatChat:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrustTwitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/batconservationtrustFor more bat news, head to our website https://www.bats.org.uk/Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatManCover Art: Rachel Hudson http://rachelhudsonillustration.com/infoSupport the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)

Hello everyone it's Steve here from BatChat here to tell you that a brand new series is going to be along on Wednesday. I know it's been a long wait since the last series but we've been working really hard to join our guests out in the field so that you don't have to listen to any more Zoom calls! So all of our guests this series have been recorded on location. This is just a little teaser, to give you a little heads-up that were coming back with some wonderful guests starting on Wednesday Nov 3rd with the brilliant Professor Gareth Jones. It's a great episode I think you're going to really enjoy it. Tell us how much you're looking forward series 3 on the socials using #BatChat and a taste of what's coming up in series 3 of BatChat is in this trailer. See you on Wednesday!Support the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)

For the final episode of Series 2 we join Nottinghamshire Bat Group member Barry Collins at a Leicestershire Church where he talks to Steve about the works that were undertaken on the church to restore it whilst retaining the Natterer's bat colony living in the fabric of the building. Barry also discusses the importance of churches in the local community as well as how they're adapting to the 21st century and how he, along with dozens of other bat workers, are working with church communities up and down the country to find a solution to retain bat roosts whilst allowing these buildings at the heart of villages to be regularly used.Become a bat explorer in your local church with the Bats in Churches ProjectFind out more about Barry's workFollow the Leicestershire and Rutland Bat Group on twitterFollow Nottinghamshire Bat Group on twitterFollow Essex Bat Group on twitterRemember we're on the lookout for stories and projects to include in the next series of BatChat so if you have a great story to tell, email comms@bats.org.ukJoin the conversation on social media using #BatChat:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrustTwitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/batconservationtrustFor more bat news, head to our website https://www.bats.org.uk/Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatManCover Art: Rachel Hudson http://rachelhudsonillustration.com/infoSupport the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)

The 2020 Woodland Symposium was hosted by BCT, six years after the inaugural symposium. It bought together landowners, ecologists, bat workers and professionals from the woodland and forestry industry to listen to talks from 15 speakers covering research, knowledge updates and case studies on woodlands and bats. We hear from three of those speakers as well as a couple of the 11 students who had been given a place at the conference by bursaries offered by the Back from the Brink project (check out episode 2 for more on that!).George Fisher talks about the Woodland Wildlife ToolkitVikki Bengtsson on Veteranisation of trees and Vikki also discusses this topic on another podcast "Tree Lady Talks"Rob Coventry discusses Ash DiebackFollow Morgan Hughes on twitterFollow Eleri Kent on twitterJoin the conversation on social media using #BatChat:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust/Twitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/batconservationtrust/For more bat news, head to our website https://www.bats.org.uk/Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatManCover Art: Rachel Hudson http://rachelhudsonillustration.com/infoSupport the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)

Chester Zoo is the most visited zoo in the UK with over 2 million visitors a year. It's also a conservation and education charity committed to preventing extinction. The fruit bat forest in the Twilight Zone exhibition is a fantastic visitor experience; Steve joins Dave White, the manager of the Twilight Zone, who explains how it's also used as an insurance population for the endangered Rodrigues fruit bat Pteropus rodricensis which is only found on the island of Rodrigues. Dr Claire Raisin the field programme coordinator for Madagascar and the Mascarenes explains how island-wide bat surveys which started in the mid-1990s are helping Chester monitor the nine main roost sites in Rodrigues. And finally we meet Helen Bradshaw the Estate Ecologist who amongst her many roles manages the native bat species roosts across the 250 hectare Estate opened in 1931 by George Mottershead.Find out more about the project at Chester:Fruit Bat ForestStories to Save Species in RodriguesMauritian Wildlife Foundation and their Facebook PageFollow Dr Claire Raisin and Helen Bradshaw on twitterFind out more about the Nature Reserve at Chester ZooJoin the conversation on social media using #BatChat:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust/Twitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/batconservationtrust/For more bat news, head to our website https://www.bats.org.uk/Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatManCover Art: Rachel Hudson http://rachelhudsonillustration.com/infoSupport the show (https://www.bats.org.uk/donate)