Dundee Bat Group

Welcome

2008-08-26T13:28:07Z

Welcome to the web site for Dundee Bat Group.

Dundee Bat Group is a Scottish registered Charity.
The groups Charity Number is SC039459

This site aims to be an information portal in regards bats that are found in the area of the town of Dundee, Scotland. In particular it intends to provide information on bat biology / conservation / echolocation.

There are over 100 Bat Groups in the British Isles.

What do Bat Groups do?

Bat Groups are the mainstay of bat conservation in the UK. Most are run by volunteers who are united by their love of bats.
Bat Groups vary greatly in their size, the way they operate and the things they do. Some 'groups' are just a single individual while others have hundreds of members.
Most Bat Groups have members involved with projects like the BCT's National Bat Monitoring Programme. They also carry out their own field work, including monitoring and survey of roosts and important bat habitats, bat box surveys and inspections of underground sites, looking for hibernating bats.
Bat groups across the UK also provide many of the Voluntary Bat Wardens, the mainstay of the roost visitor programme, providing free advice and information to people who find bats in their houses.
Many groups organise training programmes, especially for people who wish to become licensed bat workers, but also run a wide range of events, walks and talks, showing members of the public the bats on their doorstep.
The first contact many people have with a bat is finding one that has lost its way, or become injured. Bat groups provide the vital network of volunteers, rescuing and caring for sick, injured or downed bats, rehabilitating them for release back into the wild.
You do not need to be an expert to enjoy bats or to help conserve them. You can do as much or as little as you like. Whether you want to train to get a licence, or just learn a little more about these fascinating creatures, the key thing is to have fun.

Need help with a bat?

If you find a bat on the ground,

If you have a grounded bat and need help, please,

Telephone Bat Helpline on 07939-503235 or 01307-818080 for advice.

A bat found on the ground during daylight hours is likely to be in trouble already. Bats are protected, so it is normally illegal to keep healthy, flying bats, and a licence is needed to handle them. However, anyone who finds a bat that is ill or injured may take care of it in whatever way is most humane and practical with the objective of its rehabilitation to the wild. Sometimes a grounded bat may just be exhausted and need a bit of time to recover with a little help. It may be injured or in danger from passing cats so it is better to take it into captivity temporarily and follow the instructions below.

Bats are gentle creatures and seldom show any aggression but they are wild animals and may be frightened or in pain. You must take care not to be bitten so wear protective gloves and handle the bat as little as possible.

Place a box (which should be shoe box or ice cream tub sized) over the bat and slide a piece of cardboard under the box to make the floor of the container. If this is not practical then put on a pair of protective gloves and pick up the bat and put it in the box. Put a piece of cloth such as an old tea towel loosely crumpled in one corner of the box. The bat will feel safer if it has something to crawl into and hide. Put a few small air holes into the lid and a very shallow container (such as a foil milk bottle top) of water in one corner so the bat can have a drink.

There is a bat flying round inside a building.

A bat flying in a room is looking for a way out! Bats have a very sophisticated system for finding their way around in the dark, but despite this some do end up getting trapped inside buildings. This happens most often between mid July until mid August which is when baby bats are learning to fly, and are inexperienced in using their newly developed echolocation skills. This means that when they are finding their way back to the roost after hunting they might crawl through the wrong gap or through an open window, especially if this window is beneath the roost entrance, and find themselves inside the house rather than in the roof. Bats are very small and need only a very small space in order to gain access, so sometimes it can be very hard to tell how a bat got in.

The best course of action is to close the door to the room, and to open the windows to the outside as widely as possible, dim the lights and give the bat the chance to find its own way out. Bats navigate by sending out high-pitched sounds and listening for the echoes so the bat should soon detect any opening that leads out of the room. If it does not find its way out it will roost somewhere in the room when it becomes light, and will appear again the following evening at dusk. If you wish to search the room to ensure the bat has gone, the best places to look are in the folds of curtains and behind picture frames and other places that are high up and where the bat can roost out of the light. However, bats have been found hanging from the tassels at the bottom of an arm chair, so do not neglect looking at a lower level.

NEVER try to catch a flying bat - you are likely to injure it severely and it may even bite in self-defence.

Sometimes young bats, which are inexperienced fliers, will become exhausted before finding the way out. They may try to land on a wall or curtains, or they may crash land on furniture or the floor. In this case, you should contain the bat, and then release it in the evening.

What should I do if I am bitten by a bat?

Wash the wound immediately with soap and water for at least five minutes. Additional cleansing of the wound site with an alcohol base or other disinfectant is also recommended.
Seek immediate medical advice from your GP; you can also call the NHS Direct Helpline on 0845 4647.

Always wear gloves to handle bats.

If you are interested in joining Dundee Bat Group, or helping out with the Dundee City Bat Project, or just want to know more about bats and maybe come along on some of our bat walks so you can listen to bats, please contact us.

If you have a grounded bat and need help, please Telephone,

Telephone the Bat Helpline on Tel: 07939-503235 or 01307-818080 for advice.

Dundee Bat Group Contact e Mail addresses.

Chairman
Secretary
Treasurer
Membership
Webmaster
Bat Nurse

Dundee Bat Group is a Scottish registered Charity.
Charity Number is SC039459

You may download the membership form here

Dundee Bats MEMBERSHIP_FORM Final.pdf

Please visit again. Many thanks.

Bats & Wind turbines

2008-08-26T13:02:07Z

New Scientist article on bat deaths around wind turbines

BBC coverage of story

Video link for report from Calgary University researchers

Another bad year for bats?

2008-08-15T14:09:39Z

BBC Bat story

Go Batty at Balgay!

2008-08-07T10:03:03Z

A fun event for all the family!

Bat Survey: Trottick & Caird park ponds.

2008-07-16T10:36:53Z

On 14 July, members of bat group carried out a sunset survey of the Trottick ponds and Caird park ponds. ( See route on attached map ) Blue marks the route followed, and red marks the "hot-spots". Route starts at flag, and ends at Exit. Click on map for larger map.

It was a nice evening, a bit breezy, but dry with an air temperature of 14C.

There were plenty of insects flying and we had a good evening's "listening'.

The route started at Trottick and we were a bit early on first part of route, but soon started picking up echolocation calls on detectors once dusk approached.

The route will have to be checked again with time expansion detector to confirm species, but tentative guess would be that we encountered pipistrelle, ( both 45 & 55kHz "smacking" calls ) Also Daubenton at both ponds, again at 45 kHz but with the distinctive "Tik-ke" type call, and were also seen skimming the pond. Possible Brown Long ear with their very soft "tick" call, again between 45 -50khz.

There were many passes and feeding buzzes at both ponds and at times detectors were going like geiger counters.

Both sites are worthy of further examination, using a time expansion detector so as to analyse calls and identify to species level. Also, it is important that we try to identify where the roosts are. We spotted a few likely sites which will be followed up on.

Anyone interested in joining the Dundee Bat Group or helping out on our Dundee City Bat Project or if you just want to know more about bats and maybe come along on a bat walk to listen to bats yourself, please contact secretary@dundee-bats.com

Bat Workers Manual

2008-07-13T05:22:54Z

I have been asked to put a complete online version of the Bat Workers Manual on the site. There is also a link to this in the Bat links section, but if you want to access a copy where I have joined all the chapters into just one document, please follow this link.

While it is good to be able to access this online, I would suggest that it is worth while buying the hard copy, it is a rich source of information and crucial if you intend becoming a licensed roost visitor.

Note, if you are on a dial-up connection, this is a large file (5.3 Mb)

Bat Worker Manual Complete-1.pdf

Here is an extract from the above, which contains the training syllabus for Bat Workers.

Bat Worker Training Sylabus.pdf

Bat Rabies vaccinations

2008-07-09T17:06:45Z

Some people have told me that their GP's are trying to charge them for vaccines. These are free if you are bat workers. If anyone is being asked to pay anything other than the prescription charge by their GP's, let me know the GP details and I will contact them to point them in the correct direction.

You can get all the information you need on EBLV and vaccinations.

DEFRA :Bat Rabies

Another Batty Story

2008-07-08T11:01:26Z

Bat story 2

Bat story

2008-07-08T09:40:01Z

Interesting story with a touch of bat humour.

bat story

Dawn and Dusk surveys for bats in July

2008-07-06T14:45:02Z

For anyone who is interested in coming along, there are to be two events over the next couple of weeks.

Sunday 13 July: A dawn survey to monitor bats returning to roost.

Venue: Camperdown Park. Dundee. Meet at the large mansion house in centre of park. This is for early risers, as we need to be in situ by 0330 hrs.

Monday 14 July. Dusk survey of bats.
Venue: Trottick Ponds. Claverhouse. Dundee.
Meet at venue at 2130 hrs.

All are welcome. Please bring along bat detectors if you have them. Also warm clothing and torches.

For more information please contact secretary@dundee-bats.com

Dundee Bat Project report & training

2008-06-30T09:50:53Z

People have asked that I put a copy of the Dundee Bat 2007 Project report on-line.

In 2008 we are hoping to complete surveying the last of the 1 km squares of the city.

If you download the file below, it will give you the following,

Full survey report

Protocol and forms necessary to complete the survey.

THIS IS VERY LARGE FILE,(12Mb) so if you have slow internet connection it will take a while to download.

You will require Adobe Acrobat Reader to access, this can be downloaded free here.

DundeeCityBatProject.pdf

If you just want a copy of the survey protocol and forms with an example of a completed survey, download this smaller file.

Survey pack.pdf

If I can be of any assistance please contact me at Secretary Dundee Bat Group

Dundee Bat Project- Training & survey update meeting

2008-06-26T12:41:40Z

Hello,

There will be a Dundee Bat Project training and update meeting held on Monday 30 June.

The meeting, which will be held in the Rangers Centre at Camperdown Park, Dundee ( At rear of large white building in centre of park ) will start at 7.30 PM

The aim of the meeting is to provide training to new project participants and to update survey map square details.

Please encourage anyone interested in becoming involved in the meeting to attend.

Please bring along your bat detectors if you have them and any survey results.

All are welcome.

Dundee Bat Project survey record sheets.

2008-05-15T13:31:38Z

You can download copies of the Dundee Bat Project survey record sheets at this link. Please print out the first sheet on A4 in portrait mode, then put paper back in printer and print the second sheet in landscape on the back.

recording sheet p1.doc

Recording sheet p2 ay.doc

If anyone needs to refresh their memories on how to plan and carry out the survey, use bat detector, or wishes a map of their square please drop me an e mail.

Also, could anyone who reads this and is already involved in the survey or wishes to become involved in it, please send me an e mail to Secretary: Dundee Bat Group with the word "test" in the message ,using your e mail address you would like me use for all survey communications. I am asking this, as some of your e mails are bouncing back to me as being the wrong address or no longer functioning.

Thank you.

Dundee Bat Project story on BBC

2008-05-13T11:27:38Z

BBC web site has a story on the Dundee Bat Project. Thank you Anne :)

BBC Story on Dundee Bat Project

Dundee Bat Project: Training night.

2008-05-13T07:14:13Z

A training night for volunteers for the Dundee Bat Project 2008 was held last night at the Rangers Centre, Camperdown Park -- Many thanks to Kathy Longmuir and the Dundee Ranger Service for use of the venue.

Anne Youngman, Scottish Bat Office, Bat Conservation Trust, gave an excellent presentation on the project, and took the group through the protocol for the survey.

This was followed by practical training on the use of bat detectors and a bat walk. The night was a little bit cool and breezy, but the bats showed up at dusk and all the participants had a chance to use their detectors and hear bat echolocation sounds.

If anyone wants more information on bat survey methods and the use of bat detectors please go to this link on Bat Conservation Trust web site.

Field survey training

Please use the survey methodology given by Anne last night for the Dundee Bat Survey, rather than the method in the online tutorial.

I have had some people contact me who did not receive notification of last nights training. Could you please e mail me Secretary: Dundee Bat Group and give me your current contact details if you wish to be kept informed about the Dundee Bat Project, or if you could not make last nights meeting but would like to volunteer for the project. We can then arrange for training for you.

Keep coming back to this site for details of the project, and dates of further training nights and meetings.

Dundee Bat Group would like to thank Anne Youngman for facilitating last nights meeting, and the time and effort she has put into this survey and helping the group.

If anyone would like an enlarged graphic and google earth photo of their survey areas, please e mail me you grid ( eg. NO 35 32 ) and I will try to mail you it back as a mail attachment that you can print out.