Kent Bat Group
The Kent Bat Group has been working to help protect the county's bats and learn more about them since 1983.
www.kentbatgroup.org.uk
- We are already 6 days into 2026 and quite the coldest start to a year, with snowfall in many places across Kent and a thick frosty layer of ice on the ground. Many of our volunteers are now gearing themselves up for the first NBMP Hibernation Surveys. Wrap up warm! www.kentbatgroup.org.uk/support-us
- 🦇 We are still receiving calls for injured and grounded bats, if you do find a bat that needs help, please contact the Bat Conservation Trust National Bat Helpline on 0345 1300 228 or report it via our website www.kentbatgroup.org.uk or simply google "help I've found a bat" for advice
- We are delighted to announce that Naomi Webster, Training and Conferences Manager at @batconservation.bsky.social will be giving our talk at this year's AGM meeting this Friday 3rd October. For more info please see our website: www.kentbatgroup.org.uk/events/our-agm
- Our AGM has had to be moved to FRIDAY 3rd October at Lenham Community Centre. Please keep an eye on our website for more details including our guest speaker for the evening: www.kentbatgroup.org.uk/events/our-agm
- For those of you keeping track www.batnames.org is the website that tracks new bat species recorded around the globe each year, and the site has just updated their count to 1500! What amazing news!
- Well our volunteers have had a very busy start to August, leading lots of bat walks across the county and attending events, and there's still lots more to come! If you would like to become a volunteer all you need to do is join: www.kentbatgroup.org.uk
- The Great Stour RiverFest 2025 runs from 21 -28 September this year with various activities to take part in, from yoga to guided river walks and of course the all popular bat walks led by our very own Shirley Thompson MBE, for more info: www.kentbatgroup.org.uk/events?start... #visitcanterbury
- Tickets are now available to purchase online for a Bat Walk being organised by Open Faversham on the 22nd August at St Mary of Charity Church in Faversham, led by volunteers from the Kent Bat Group : openfaversham.info?event=2161 Limited tickets so be quick!
- 🦇 Another exciting find for Kent this year! First a Greater mouse-eared and now a Grey long-eared! What will be next?!
- 🦇 We were delighted to find out that a grey long-eared roost has been recorded in Kent for the first time! Read all about it here: www.bats.org.uk/news/2025/07...
- A big batty thank you to all our wonderful volunteers this #volunteersweek Illustration by @bzillustrations.bsky.social
- Would you like to learn how to identify bats and take part in surveys for the National Bat Monitoring Programme (NBMP)? If so this @batconservation.bsky.social training session is for you. This Wed 30 April 6:30pm - 8:00pm via Zoom. more info and tickets: www.tickettailor.com/events/bctev...
- Our fabulous @bzillustrations.bsky.social did a marvellous job last night speaking to the Faversham Natural History group all about our UK bats. Crowborough, a male Common pipistrelle, was a great ambassador and even charmed a few bat-phobic guests. All safety protocols followed.
- 🦇 Many thanks to the Faversham Natural History Group for inviting me to give a talk on bats and being such an enthusiastic audience. Huge thanks also to @doddles.bsky.social for bringing an education bat and for being such a huge support throughout as well as photographer! @kentbatgroup.bsky.social
- The Kent Bat Group were delighted to attend the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) campus in Canterbury today, as part of their #GreenWeek2025 We had some great conversations with students keen on learning more about bat conservation, and some shared their amazing work involving bats with us.
- The Infrastructure & Planning Bill will be a disaster for bats and other wildlife, we urge our members to contact their MPs to object. A template letter can be found www.kentbatgroup.org.uk/bats-in-kent... The 2nd reading is tomorrow - please email urgently. @batconservation.bsky.social
- Martyn Cooke, a bat acoustic expert and representative for SonoBat, will be giving our next talk via Zoom on Wednesday 19th March from 7.30pm - 9.30pm. A link will be sent to members nearer the time. Not a member? Sign up now via our website www.kentbatgroup.org.uk/events
- We’ve had a few calls recently about bats being found grounded. Advice can be sought from @batconservation.bsky.social Helpline on 0345 1300 228 and then reported via our website www.kentbatgroup.org.uk/help-ive-fou...
- Sean Hanna and @bzillustrations.bsky.social gave a talk to students from the Royal College of Art about bats that hibernate, roost and forage at the Oare GunPowder Works, the students ideas for bringing nature and people together in art are truly inspiring - so this will definitely be worth a visit!
- The final @batconservation.bsky.social NBMP hibernation surveys are being done for the year. Many bats counted, and Herald moths too! We’re packing up some of the kit until next year now.
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- Not this time. Only 11 months to wait for the next check!
- Understanding the Principles and Techniques of Recording Bats is our next talk via zoom on the 19th March 7.30pm-9.30pm. Martyn Cooke will be providing valuable advice on how to improve your recording techniques for better quality recordings when surveying for bats. www.kentbatgroup.org.uk/events
- We’re at the Herne Bay Seaside Museum until 3 o’clock for their nature day, come along with @kentfieldclub.bsky.social and others. We’d love to see you and have a chat.
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- We agree. We must not ‘improve’ undesignated habitat for one species, where that habitat is already valuable to others.
- Important bat survey kit…..
- Great hibernation survey today. We’ve been monitoring roost sites and recording the findings for many years as part of the @batconservation.bsky.social NBMP. All important data to keep track of the status of the UK’s bats.
- You can hear Claire Munn talk about our rare Greater mouse-eared bat find in the latest BatChat podcast! podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t... @batconservation.bsky.social
- Unbelievably exciting news, a Greater mouse-eared bat has been found during an #NBMP hibernation survey in Dover! This is the first record of this species in Kent since 1985. Well done Claire and huge thanks to @fionamathews.bsky.social and Dr John Puckett for helping to confirm ID
- January's NBMP Hibernation Surveys are in full swing, with many sites yielding good numbers of hibernating bats. Thank you to all licence holders and volunteers for carrying out these vital surveys. www.kentbatgroup.org.uk/volunteering #kentbatgroup #nbmp
- Our events page already has some excellent talks, events and volunteering opportunities for 2025 listed: www.kentbatgroup.org.uk/events #kentbatgroup
- An exciting new book has been released, grab your copy just in time for winter surveying!
- Congratulations James! You can pre-order his book now: pelagicpublishing.com/collections/... James is kindly donating 10% of the royalties from this book to our work to continue to help bats. Thank you for all you do for bat conservation.
