Delighted here to be chatting with Marc Holderied (Professor of Sensory Ecology, University of Bristol) who is a sensory ecologist & bioacoustician, with strong links to bio-inspired engineering. His research expertise lies in the emerging fields of acoustic camouflage & biosonar navigation, with a passion for acoustic arms races & wildlife acoustics.

Read about Marc Holderied's research here on ResearchGate

Attacus Acoustics

Hodgkin House

Every month Aileen Hendry (BatAbility Courses & Tuition) is joined by Neil Middleton to deliver a 'light-hearted' monthly update for our BatAbility Club members. We are sharing it here for the benefit of anyone who wishes to find out more about what we are up to.

If you are not a Club member, but would like to know more about how to join up, please go to the following link: batability.co.uk/batability-club/

Email address for Aileen Hendry - aileen.hendry@batability.co.uk 

Every month Aileen Hendry (BatAbility Courses & Tuition) is joined by Neil Middleton to deliver a 'light-hearted' monthly update for our BatAbility Club members. We are sharing it here for the benefit of anyone who wishes to find out more about what we are up to.

If you are not a Club member, but would like to know more about how to join up, please go to the following link: batability.co.uk/batability-club/

Anne Youngman was the Bat Conservation Trust's (BCT) first Scottish Bat Officer from 2003 to 2017, & is very well known & respected within the bat community, not only in the UK, but also much further afield. This is her third time on Talking Bat, & on this occasion we focus on her next challenge, this time to run a 100 km ultra-marathon on 20.07.24, a challenge that could take almost 19 hours to complete. Why? It's all for charity \o/ in order to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support & HospiceCare North Northumberland, two amazing organisations which helped her & her family at a time when they didn't know where to turn. Run Anne Run - Give Folks Give! Just Giving Page Anne’s 100k ultra marathon for Macmillan Cancer Support & HospiceCare North Northumberland

Steve Roe (Vice Chair of BCT & Pete Guest Award winner 2023) is the producer & presenter of BCT's award winning BatChat podcast. He gets many opportunities to interview people about bat work in the UK. This time we get the opportunity to turn the mic & interview him \o/. Find out lots about his back story (he started his 'bat life' early!) & achievements to date, as well as some thoughts on the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ professionals within the ecology sector.

Bat Conservation Trust (BCT)

CIEEM Article - Supporting LGBTQ+ Professionals

Here we talk with the delightful, highly respected & knowledgeable botanist, Joshua Styles of Styles Ecology Ltd & British Botany, covering some of his back-story, his career progression to date, as well as the expertise & services he has to offer the ecological sector. North-West Rare Plant Initiative The Wildlife Trust for Manchester, Lancashire & North Merseyside

A Cork-born ornithologist, Sean Ronayne returned home to Ireland after living in Barcelona for 3 years. He is a highly respected wildlife sound recorderist (Sound Of The Year awards winner 2020), & is almost at the end of a journey to record all of the birds present in Ireland, a journey that has taken him to the highest level of appreciation for all of his hard work & resilience. Want to know more? Listen to the interview :-)

Irish Wildlife Sounds

The Tommy Tiernan Show with guest Sean Ronayne

Follow Sean Ronayne on Twitter: @SoundsIrish  

Every month Aileen Hendry (BatAbility Courses & Tuition) is joined by Neil Middleton to deliver a 'light-hearted' monthly update for our BatAbility Club members. We are sharing it here for the benefit of anyone who wishes to find out more about what we are up to.

If you are not a Club member, but would like to know more about how to join up, please go to the following link: batability.co.uk/batability-club/

Fiona Mathews is highly respected internationally for her academic work on mammals (including bats) & other subjects. She is the founding chair of Mammal Conservation Europe, a former chair of the Mammal Society, a trustee of the Kasanka Trust (UK), the co-founder & director of Ecotype Genetics Ltd, & also serves on the Eurobats Scientific Advisory Committee. Add to all that, her recent book Black Ops and Beaver Bombing: Adventures with Britain's Wild Mammals (April 2023) - my word, we certainly had lots to chat about.

Fiona Mathews ResearchGate

Many have listened to him on Birder's Twitter, so we felt we should get him on here for an interview & find out more about Jonny Rankin who is well known & highly respected within birding circles. And we certainly ticked all the boxes as we explored Jonny's backstory, his extreme fundraising activities (Dove Step & Tern The Tide), as well as more background about Birder's Twitter, & the Birder's Space website & podcast.

Follow Jonny on Twitter: @step_dove

The Suffolk Community Barn Owl Project

If you deal with Titley Scientific in Europe then the chances are you have had the pleasure of meeting (or at least communicating with) their UK/Europe Sales Support Manager, Andrew Dobson. We felt it would be great to let you find out so much more about the person behind the products & services they distribute in Europe, & this interview certainly gets well into Andrew's background prior to & after the relaunch of Titley Scientific in 2013.

Follow Titley Scientific on Twitter

Dr Hannah Mueller recently set up her own environmental/ecological consultancy in New Zealand (Phoenix Ecology Ltd). She is an ecologist with expertise in a wide range of ecological matters, with a key focus on finding management solutions to environmental challenges that work with nature’s principles & restore ecosystems using a landscape-scale approach. During this interview we talk about her experiences setting up & running the business, as well as going into a little bit of detail regarding bat consultancy work in New Zealand.

Find out more about Hannah's research here

Visit the Bat Research Organisation here

Delighted to have Danilo Russo here on Talking Bat. Danilo is a Professor of Ecology based at University of Naples Federico II, as well as an Honorary Professor of Ecology at University of Bristol. He describes himself as an ecologist, ethologist & conservation biologist, & he is also a former Chair of EUROBATS advisory committee.

Danilo Russo ResearchGate

Animal Ecology & Evolution Facebook page

Charitable donation went to Wildlife Alliance

Every month Aileen Hendry (BatAbility Courses & Tuition) is joined by Neil Middleton to deliver a 'light-hearted' monthly update for our BatAbility Club members. We are sharing it here for the benefit of anyone who wishes to find out more about what we are up to.

If you are not a Club member, but would like to know more about how to join up, please go to the following link: batability.co.uk/batability-club/

Dean Waters is highly respected within the world of bats & academia for his research, separate to which he describes himself as an Ecology, Acoustics & Imaging Consultant, as well as a mediocre photographer.

During this interview we explore his back story, as well as discussing some of his research interests, which include bat biology, conservation, bioacoustics & biomimetics (using biology as inspiration for engineering).

Find out more about Dean's research here

Find out more about the UltraCane here

Miranda Collett spends her time between Jersey & Argentina. She certainly has an interesting life story, & during this interview we learn all about her professional career, which lead up to the purchase of some land in Corrientes (Argentina) & the creation of a 4,000 acre conservation area dedicated to preserving endangered species & defending the habitats that are essential for their survival.

Visit The Collett Trust for Endangered Species here

She's back for a second time on Talking Bat. This time we speak to the award winning Anne Youngman (former BCT Scottish Officer) about her first ultra-marathon experience (before & after), all in support of Bats Without Borders. Did she make? You will have to listen to find out :-). We certainly had lots of fun chatting, & Anne is such an inspirationally infectious character, which shines through with everything she does.

Bats Without Borders

Bats Without Borders - Donate here

Hugely respected & recognised for his contributions to bat conservation, Roger Ransome began studying bats in 1956, completing his PhD in 1979. He is a Linnean Society Award winner for Contributions By An Amateur Towards Scientific Progress, as well as having received the Pete Guest Award (2010) from BCT. Much of what we know about Greater horseshoe bats comes from the work he, & many others working alongside him, have been carrying out at Woodchester Mansion. Add to all this the numerous scientific papers produced, as well as being an author of books, & let's not forget his Guinness World Record for the longest mammal study carried out by an individual. 

Find out about Roger's research here

The Natural History of Hibernating Bats by Roger Ransome

It's great to have Nils Bouillard back for a second interview here on our channel, this time we focus on the background to his recently published book: Big Bat Year - A Conservation Story (published 2023). Follow Nils on Twitter: @NilsBouillard

Every month Aileen Hendry (BatAbility Courses & Tuition) is joined by Neil Middleton to deliver a 'light-hearted' monthly update for our BatAbility Club members. We are sharing it here for the benefit of anyone who wishes to find out more about what we are up to.

If you are not a Club member, but would like to know more about how to join up, please go to the following link: batability.co.uk/batability-club/

When we recorded this interview Henry Schofield had recently retired as Head of Conservation at Vincent Wildlife Trust, where he had worked for over 30 years. During his time with the trust he was involved with many bat-related projects (as well as other species groups), including extensively with horseshoe species. Here we explore his life journey to date, as well as talking about some of his research & books.

Vincent Wildlife Trust

Bats of Britain & Ireland (7th Edition)  

Katheryn Leggat has had an amazing life story to date, which we really enjoyed chatting about during this session. It was also an opportunity for us to find out all about Kasanka National Park in Zambia, home for so much wildlife including the 10 million straw-coloured fruit bats that migrate into the area every year - the largest migration event for any mammal species anywhere on the planet.

Kasanka Trust Ltd - Donate Here

^o^ Something just for our podcast audience.

Sometimes light-hearted, occasionally a little more serious! Here are some random thoughts from your Talking Bat host, Neil Middleton :-) Email address for feedback: neil.middleton@batability.co.uk

Laurie Campbell is an award winning natural history & landscape photographer. During this interview we cover his background, as well as many fascinating stories about his adventures & experiences.

Laurie Campbell Natural History Photographer

Otters - Ripples On The River book

Trees For Life 

Here we have the huge pleasure of 'Talking...' with Mister Mustelid (aka Dr Johnny Birks) about his lifelong passion & career journey involving many roles within the ecology sector. All of this leading to lots of experiences, achievements & challenges along the way.  Learn about Johnny's work on ResearchGate Visit NHBS Ltd to see books by Johnny Birks Visit Extinction Rebellion here

During this interview Maggie Andrews shares some of her earlier memories relating to studying bats (in particular horseshoe species), along with a deeper look into some of the research she has been involved with in conjunction with her late husband Peter Andrews & others (e.g. Tom McOwat & Amelia Hodnett).   Read about Maggie's work here on ResearchGate Visit Woodchester Mansion - find out more here Stackpole National Nature Reserve - find out more

Michael Sheldrick is the Co-Founder & Chief Policy, Impact, & Government Affairs Officer at Global Citizen. Their  initiatives have reached millions of people & secured $billions in support to provide access to essential resources worldwide. During this interview we explore Michael's back story, as well as the work of Global Citizen, leading us on to discuss, in some detail, his new book 'From Ideas To Impact - A Playbook for Influencing and Implementing Change in a Divided World' Michael Sheldrick website Donate to production costs of 'From Ideas To Impact' here

In 1985 Bernard Mercer founded NHBS Ltd, & during this interview we get a fascinating insight into the background of the business, & how it has developed over the years to become one of the largest, if not the largest, organisations of its type on the planet. But there is so much more to the story than may immediately meet the eye, & during this session it was so interesting to explore the history of the business that all of us are familiar with today.

British Wildlife magazine

Conservation Land Management magazine

Flora & Fauna International

Here we have the pleasure of interviewing Henry Andrews, the driving force behind the habitat keys & books entitled 'Bat Roosts In Trees' & 'Bat Roosts In Rock'. As well as covering the backdrop to the books in some detail, we also explore Henry's career path within the ecology sector.

Every month Aileen Hendry (BatAbility Courses & Tuition) is joined by Neil Middleton to deliver a 'light-hearted' monthly update for our BatAbility Club members. We are sharing it here for the benefit of anyone who wishes to find out more about what we are up to.

If you are not a Club member, but would like to know more about how to join up, please go to the following link: batability.co.uk/batability-club/

Daniel Hargreaves is well know & highly respected within the world of bats, & during this session we talk about his exciting life journey from becoming interested in bats as a child through to being involved in projects & adventures around the world. At the time of recording our conversation Daniel had recently taken on the role of Bat Programme Manager at Vincent Wildlife Trust, & the work of the trust is also covered.

VWT Sussex Horseshoe Bat Appeal here Merlin Tuttle's Bat Conservation here

Laura Torrent is a PhD student studying bat taxonomy, ecology & conservation in Equatorial Guinea (west coast of central Africa), working in collaboration with Natural Science Museum of Granollers; University of Porto; CIBIO-InBIO; Doñana Biological Station & Biodiversity Initiative. This interview explores her bat-related work to date, including details about her research & the challenges posed when studying bats in a part of the world where so little is known about the subject.

Learn more about Laura's research here

Follow Laura on Twitter: @arualentina

John Haddow (Auritus Bat Consultancy) is a highly respected bat-worker (& so much more) based in Scotland, & a previous winner of the BCTs Pete Guest Award. His interest in bats started before bats were collectively protected within the UK, & before BCT even existed. During this interview he gives an excellent historical insight into bat conservation since the 1970s. We also talk at length about the Scottish Leisler's Bat Project & his regular trips to Poland visiting Nietoperek, one of the largest hibernation sites in Europe.

Scottish Bats Journals Archive

Bat Conservation Trust (BCT)

Marc Van De Sijpe is an internationally respected bat researcher based in Belgium, especially known for his work on the European 'trawling' bat species - Daubenton's bat, Pond bat & Long-fingered bat. Here we chat to him about his back-story, early years doing bat work in Belgium, as well as looking in more detail at his research & contributions to our knowledge & understanding of European bat species.

Learn more about Marc's research here on ResearchGate

Check out Marc's YouTube channel here

Every month Aileen Hendry (BatAbility Courses & Tuition) is joined by Neil Middleton to deliver a 'light-hearted' monthly update for our BatAbility Club members. We are sharing it here for the benefit of anyone who wishes to find out more about what we are up to.

If you are not a Club member, but would like to know more about how to join up, please go to the following link: batability.co.uk/batability-club/

Brock Fenton (Emeritus Professor - University of Western Ontario, Canada) has been studying bats in some shape or form since the early 1960s. He is hugely respected internationally for his academic work, his contributions to bat conservation, as well as which he has authored/co-authored numerous books. During this interview we explore his background, as well as getting into some detail regarding bat evolution. The interview was timed to coincide with the release of the book 'A Miscellany of Bats' which he co-authored with his good friend Jens Rydell.

Ear Anatomy Traces a Family Tree for Bats - M. Brock Fenton Nature 602, 387-388 (2022) 

Bat Conservation International website here

Dr Mirjam Knornschild is the Head of Behavioural Ecology & Bioacoustics Lab for the Museum of Natural History in Berlin. She is internationally recognised & highly respected for, amongst other things, her research into bat acoustics, in particular species occurring in Costa Rica, Panama & southern Africa. During this interview we explore her back-story, as well as talk about some of her academic work. We also dip into other aspects of bat-related studies & challenges when it comes to studying these fascinating mammals in the field.

Find out more via Mirjam's research website here

Visit Deutsche Fledermauswarte (German Bat Observatory) website here

Alexandra Howard is a PhD candidate carrying out research on bats in southern Africa. Here we explore her life journey so far, as well as her research interests, along with dipping into other aspects of life & the challenges of being a bat researcher in Africa.   Follow Alexandra on X (twitter): @blondezoologist

Every month Aileen Hendry (BatAbility Courses & Tuition) is joined by Neil Middleton to deliver a 'light-hearted' monthly update for our BatAbility Club members. We are sharing it here for the benefit of anyone who wishes to find out more about what we are up to.

If you are not a Club member, but would like to know more about how to join up, please go to the following link: batability.co.uk/batability-club/

Peter Taylor's research focuses on bats & other small mammals in natural & agricultural landscapes in southern Africa. He has contributed significantly to science & conservation, & during this interview we explore his life journey, along with many of his thoughts about the research he has been involved with & the books he has authored/co-authored.

Bats of Southern & Central Africa - find out more here 

The Bat Interest Group of KwaZulu-Natal (formerly the Durban Bat Interest Group) - find out more here

Originally from the UK, & now living in New Zealand, Ian Davidson-Watts is highly respected internationally as a bat researcher & consultant. His career to date has had many twists & turns, across a number of roles & countries, as you will hear about during this fascinating insight into his life. 

Find out more about Davidson-Watts Ecology here

Find out more about GoFundMe 'Save the Isle Of Wight Bat Hospital' here

Hooked onto natural history from early childhood, Sandie Sowler commenced with her first serious venture into bats in 1969 whilst still at university. Since then she has achieved a huge amount & contributed significantly to the world of bats. Highly respected internationally, during this interview we talk about her early research, her time within the consultancy sector, as well as her experiences contributing to the delivery of training courses and survey guidelines (in particular within the UK & South Africa). And if that's not enough - we also explore many of the non-bat-related  activities she gets involved with. Bats Without Borders - find out more here

Jon Russ is hugely respected & well known to us all as the author of books relating to bat acoustics & identification, he also has his own consultancy business, Ridgeway Ecology. During this in depth interview into his back-story & life experiences we explore in some detail his academic research, some projects he has been heavily involved with (e.g. the Nathusius' pipistrelle in GB & Northern Ireland), as well, of course, the popular books themselves, including the recently published Bat Calls of Britain & Europe

Every month Aileen Hendry (BatAbility Courses & Tuition) is joined by Neil Middleton to deliver a 'light-hearted' monthly update for our BatAbility Club members. We are sharing it here for the benefit of anyone who wishes to find out more about what we are up to.

If you are not a Club member, but would like to know more about how to join up, please go to the following link: batability.co.uk/batability-club/

We are very pleased to have with us, once again, Volker Runkel. This time we focus on his book, 'The Handbook of Acoustic Bat Detection'. Along with this we explore the development of successful bat acoustic projects, as well as working with automated classifiers.

Find 'The Handbook of Acoustic Bat Detection' book here

Find 'Handbuch: Praxis der Akustischen Fledermauserfassung' here

Visit EcoObs website here

Anne Youngman was the Bat Conservation Trust's (BCT) first Scottish Bat Officer from 2003 to 2017, & is very well known & respected within the bat community, not only in the UK, but also much further afield. This is her 4th time on Talking Bat, & on this occasion we look back on her most recent challenge (a 100km ultra-marathon). A quick reminder as to why she was doing it. It's all for charity \o/ in order to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support & HospiceCare North Northumberland, two amazing organisations which helped her & her family at a time when they didn't know where to turn.

Take a listen & find out how she got on, as well as what's next for the 'Creaky Old Bat'. Just Giving Page Anne’s 100k ultra marathon for Macmillan Cancer Support & HospiceCare North Northumberland

We could have equally called this one Talking Primate (as well as bats of course) due to David Hill's early research studying macaques, latterly in Japan. We were delighted to chat at length about working & living in that part of the world.

And then (well it wouldn't be possible not to talk about it!) we get into his work with Bechstein's bat, as well as the ground-breaking development of the Sussex AutoBat ultrasonic lure (all work David did in conjunction with Frank Greenaway). As well as all of that, there is so much more... Hope you enjoy the listen :-) Find out more about the Vincent Wildlife Trust Sussex Bat Appeal here

Paul Racey is internationally recognised & one of the most highly respected people in the world of bats, having so many achievements associated with his academic work, as well as his contributions to conservation internationally. During this interview we take a look back at his working life including the following: Gerrit S. Miller Award; Mammal Society Silver Medal; BBC Wildlife “Conservation Heroes”; BCT Lifetime Achievement Award: Honorary Membership: American Society of Mammalogists; Honorary Life Membership: Bat Conservation Trust

We also talk about having a bat species named after himself, as well as various personal memories of people he has worked with on various projects both at home & overseas.

Sherwood Snyder & Paul Howden-Leach both work for Wildlife Acoustics, & during this interview we have a deep dive into their lives, as well as how product development is undertaken within WAC. Also, a good few doses of 'fun' along the way.

Find out more about Wildlife Acoustics here 

Every month Aileen Hendry (BatAbility Courses & Tuition) is joined by Neil Middleton to deliver a 'light-hearted' monthly update for our BatAbility Club members. We are sharing it here for the benefit of anyone who wishes to find out more about what we are up to.

If you are not a Club member, but would like to know more about how to join up, please go to the following link: batability.co.uk/batability-club/