The Devon Bat Conservation and Research Group’s Spring Training Sessions are about to get underway.

They start with a session on the morning of Saturday 11^th March dealing with ‘Bat Identification’ (dead specimens and a photo id session) In the afternoon we will spend time creating GIS cards (cards summarising the key id features) for quick identification of all the British species.

On Sunday 12^th March the morning session is a lecture session dealing with ‘Basic Bat Biology’.                                                                                         In   the afternoon there is an id session on ‘Bat Droppings’ and the creation of a ‘droppings fan’,  the individual ‘pages’ of  which provide a means by which life size images of the droppings of British bats can be compared with droppings found ‘in the wild’.   A great little tool which no consultant should be without!

On Saturday 18^th March we will be thinking about where bats roost. In addition Colin Morris of the Vincent Wildlife Trust  will give a talk on the uptake of bat boxes of different designs. Which are the most efficient boxes?                                                                                                                      In the afternoon we will be putting up a variety of woodcrete boxes in a woodland which hosts a population of female Bechstein’s bats (amongst other species).

On Sunday 19^th March we will be visiting a hibernaculum in a Second World War pill box in Axminster and considering  how it might be improved.  In the  late morning/early afternoon we will be using endoscopes to search for bats in frost cracks, crevices and a variety of tree holes.

On Sunday 26^th March we will be having a series of ‘Flash Talks’ from various of the Group’s members covering a wide range of topics.

On Sunday 2^nd April we will have an afternoon of Radio Tracking training  – just in time for our emergence surveys.  These  involve harp trapping and mist netting  and are aimed at those people wanting to eventually obtain their Class 3 and Class 4 Licences. We are currently studying the movement of Bechstein’s bats in the south- eastern part of the county.

There is no charge for any of this training  to members of the Devon Bat Conservation and Research Group

Membership of the Group costs £10 for the calendar year 2017.

If you are interested in taking part in any of these training sessions please contact the DBC&RG’s trainer, Adrian Bayley (adrianbayley@btconnect.com) who will explain how to become a member of the Group.

Many thanks.

Adrian

 

Adrian Bayley

11 Greenclose Court

Colyton

Devon

EX24 6RG

 

Tel: 01297 551389