Explore every episode of the podcast BatChat
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Packham on Bats, Bills and the Battle for Britain’s Wildlife | 05 Nov 2025 | 01:04:05 | |
S7E68 We're back with a brand new series and we're starting this exciting new collection of interviews with our President, Chris Packham. We last heard from Chris five years ago back in Episode 14 but this time Steve met the Springwatch presenter at the Natural History Museum. We discuss the new location of this year's Springwatch (and the amazing footage of the soprano pipistrelles at Haddon Hall) and what is needed to fix our National Parks. Chris also gives the latest update on his papercuts artwork and when you can get your hands on his new brown long-eared bat design. The catalyst for arranging this interview was the Planning & Infrastructure Bill which the government is putting through the political processes. This new legislation has the potential to be disastrous for bat conservation here in the UK and you'll hear why the nature conservation organisations need to unite right now. As you'll hear Chris thinks we should treat our membership of wildlife organisation as an investment for our natural world. If you'd like to see your membership fees well-invested, become a member of the Bat Conservation Trust to support the amazing amount of work we undertake. Discover our work here. Our dedicated webpages on the Planning & Infrastructure Bill are here along with our Position Statement. 🎧 New to BatChat? We release episodes every other Wednesday, so hit subscribe or follow and join us for more fascinating bat stories! Please 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). | |||
| Series 7 is ready to take flight | 29 Oct 2025 | 00:01:23 | |
We introduce our upcoming series, BatChat, premiering on November 5th. The series will explore the intriguing world of bats while also highlighting wildlife conservation and the amazing people working to conserve them. We conduct field interviews with bat conservationists to gain insights into their efforts and the challenges they face. In this series we'll be speaking to our President Chris Packham, bat workers studying a historical lime kiln in the Yorkshire Dales, an organisation which cares for some of the country's most important roosts and we will also visit a roost in Pembrokeshire which has shed light on how bat pups communicate with their mums. Tune in every other Wednesday to uncover the stories of bats and the individuals dedicated to protecting our natural world. Please 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). | |||
| An Evening with Somerset's Rarest Bat | 11 Dec 2024 | 00:38:00 | |
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: Whether you’re a seasoned bat enthusiast or just curious about the creatures of the night, this episode is packed with discovery, conservation passion, and the magic of Somerset’s wildlife. Links and Resources:
Follow us to stay updated on all things bats! Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share the episode with fellow nature lovers. Please 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). | |||
| Batting on a Budget: Phil Atkin’s Game-Changing Bat Detector | 27 Nov 2024 | 00:34:15 | |
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: Whether you're a seasoned bat enthusiast or just curious about how technology can support wildlife conservation, this episode offers a fascinating glimpse into the intersection of tech and nature. 🔗 Resources and Links:
Don’t miss this inspiring conversation with a true innovator! Please 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). | |||
| Into the Knapp: A Night Walk with Worcestershire Bat Group | 13 Nov 2024 | 00:28:22 | |
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! Please 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). | |||
| Megan McCubbin | 30 Oct 2024 | 00:43:11 | |
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 bats Please 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). | |||
| Our 6th Series is just around the corner... | 09 Oct 2024 | 00:01:41 | |
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 🎃31st October🦇. Please 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). | |||
| How to get a bat licence - with Richard Crompton | 06 Mar 2024 | 00:40:13 | |
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!
Please 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 at the National Trust | 21 Feb 2024 | 00:24:49 | |
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.
Please 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). | |||
| The sonic success of David King; Inventor of BatBox detectors | 07 Feb 2024 | 00:29:01 | |
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.
Please 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). | |||
| Bat Tracking; the drones changing the way we can undertake research | 24 Jan 2024 | 00:32:19 | |
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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Please 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 in the Channel: Jersey Bat Group | 10 Jan 2024 | 00:33:06 | |
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.
Please 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). | |||
| Big News – Behind the Mic | 23 Apr 2025 | 00:18:58 | |
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:
Links and Mentions:
Thanks for being part of the BatChat community. Please 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). | |||
| Boathouse to Bat House | 27 Dec 2023 | 00:32:05 | |
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.
Please 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). | |||
| Walking with bats | 13 Dec 2023 | 00:32:06 | |
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.
Please 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). | |||
| The Lifesaving Legacy of Livingstone's Fruit Bats at Jersey Zoo | 29 Nov 2023 | 00:34:17 | |
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. Please 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). | |||
| Gargoyle Guardians: A Bat Count at Lacock Abbey with the Wiltshire Bat Group | 15 Nov 2023 | 00:23:24 | |
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.
Please 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). | |||
| The Bechstein's of Bracketts | 01 Nov 2023 | 00:41:14 | |
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. Please 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). | |||
| It's time for Series 5! | 18 Oct 2023 | 00:02:04 | |
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! Please 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). | |||
| A new exhibition of wildlife sound at the British Library | 26 Apr 2023 | 00:27:56 | |
S4E45 - Bonus! 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:
Please 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). | |||
| Wild Isles | 02 Apr 2023 | 00:37:34 | |
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. Please 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). | |||
| The History of Bat Conservation with Dr Bob Stebbings | 01 Mar 2023 | 00:45:43 | |
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. Please 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). | |||
| Winged passions: The bat basement of Cliveden House | 15 Feb 2023 | 00:21:35 | |
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.
Join the conversation with the hashtag #BatChat Please 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). | |||
| Frome After Dark: A Town on the Hunt for Bats | 26 Mar 2025 | 00:35:07 | |
S6E66 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 yourself Please 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). | |||
| Tony Hutson & the greater mouse-eared bat | 01 Feb 2023 | 00:36:13 | |
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.
Join the conversation with the hashtag #BatChat Please 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). | |||
| How the Western Link could affect the Western barbastelle | 18 Jan 2023 | 00:37:26 | |
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. Please 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). | |||
| The bat man of Mexico | 04 Jan 2023 | 00:27:06 | |
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. Please 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). | |||
| Bat flies with Dr Erica McAlister | 21 Dec 2022 | 00:34:38 | |
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: Your specimens will be added to the collection and your name will eventually appear in the digital collections. Please 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). | |||
| Haddon Hall | 07 Dec 2022 | 00:23:10 | |
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 ecology Please 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). | |||
| The find of the century | 23 Nov 2022 | 00:34:07 | |
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. Please 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). | |||
| Bat roost visit service | 09 Nov 2022 | 00:34:50 | |
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. Please 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). | |||
| Series 4 is nearly here! | 19 Oct 2022 | 00:03:24 | |
BatChat is returning on 9th November 2022 with series 4 and we want to hear from you! So how do you leave this message? Well you can leave us a voicemail and we’ll play your recording here on BatChat! Please 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). | |||
| Knepp Rewilding Estate | 23 Mar 2022 | 00:36:59 | |
S3E34 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.
Season 4 Recording 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 Join the conversation on social media using #BatChat: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust Please 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). | |||
| The National Bat Monitoring Programme | 09 Mar 2022 | 00:40:52 | |
S3E33 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.
Join the conversation on social media using #BatChat: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust Please 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). | |||
| Restore Nature Now | 12 Mar 2025 | 00:26:55 | |
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 website Biggles the Bat's Instagram Account BCT's page on the march Please 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). | |||
| Angela Mills; Bobby the brown long-eared bat | 23 Feb 2022 | 00:27:04 | |
S3E32 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!
Join the conversation on social media using #BatChat: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust Please 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). | |||
| Bat conservation in action with Jim Mullholland | 09 Feb 2022 | 00:26:54 | |
S3E31 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.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust Please 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 at RHS Wisley | 26 Jan 2022 | 00:21:01 | |
S3E30 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.
If 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!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust Please 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). | |||
| A bat call library with Martyn Cooke | 12 Jan 2022 | 00:24:29 | |
S3E29 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.
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.
Please 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). | |||
| Jon Russ | 29 Dec 2021 | 00:31:34 | |
S3E28 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. 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. Join the conversation on social media using #BatChat Please 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 with Altitude - Rich Flight | 15 Dec 2021 | 00:38:02 | |
S3E27 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.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust Please 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). | |||
| Children's books with Emma Reynolds | 01 Dec 2021 | 00:22:15 | |
S3E26 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.
Join the conversation on social media using #BatChat: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust Please 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). | |||
| Barbastelles at Paston Great Barn | 17 Nov 2021 | 00:27:47 | |
S3E25 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.
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. Join the conversation on social media using #BatChat: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust Please 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). | |||
| Gareth Jones - A lifetime of research | 03 Nov 2021 | 00:41:52 | |
S3E24 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.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust Please 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). | |||
| We're back with Season 3! | 27 Oct 2021 | 00:03:28 | |
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! Please 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). | |||
| NightWatch: Breaking Barriers to Bat Conservation | 26 Feb 2025 | 00:23:26 | |
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. 🔗 Find out more about NightWatch and how you can support it here: https://www.bats.org.uk/news/2025/02/save-nightwatch-urban-bats-communities 🦇 Warwickshire Bat Group Take a look at their website for upcoming events. 🦇 Find your local bat group 🎧 New to BatChat? We release episodes every other Wednesday, so hit subscribe and join us for more fascinating bat stories! Please 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 in Churches with Barry Collins | 03 Mar 2021 | 00:45:36 | |
S2E23 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.
Remember 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.uk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust Please 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). | |||
| Woodland Symposium | 17 Feb 2021 | 00:43:52 | |
S2E22 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!).
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust/ Please 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). | |||
| Chester Zoo - Twilight Zone | 03 Feb 2021 | 00:54:01 | |
S2E21 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.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust/ Please 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). | |||
| Going Underground on a Hibernation Survey | 20 Jan 2021 | 00:23:09 | |
S2E20 Steve joins Helen Ball and other members of Staffordshire Bat Group as they undertake a winter hibernation survey for the National Bat Monitoring Programme (NBMP). Recorded in February 2020 in the Staffordshire Peak District, they undertake the latest survey of disused lead mines searching for bats deep in torpor. The NBMP hibernation surveys: https://www.bats.org.uk/our-work/national-bat-monitoring-programme The Big Bat Skills Event Online is back this February - Book Now!
Please 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). | |||