Norfolk Bat Survey

Norfolk Bat Survey offers anyone in Norfolk the opportunity to borrow automated equipment to record bats in the local area.

Our projects aim to improve our understanding of bat distribution and activity by providing an opportunity for anyone to take advantage of recent advances in technology for automating the capture and analysis of acoustic data for bats. Currently we are conducting bat surveys across Norfolk and parts of Suffolk.

To achieve this, we have set up a number of Bat Monitoring Centres in these areas, from which you can borrow equipment for a few days to take part in the survey. In return we will let you know what species were recorded. The survey season runs from the mid-May until the end of September, so plenty of time to take part.

We are limited by the number of detectors, so if you are interested you need to be quick in expressing interest and reserving your 1-km square to survey. Once you have reserved a square, you will be able to reserve a detector to use.

Please note that this survey requires three different points (ideally at least 200-metres apart) to be surveyed ideally on consecutive nights within a 1-km square (read more under our survey methods). To choose a survey square please sign up through our Norfolk sign-up map.

Time / Skill Required

Putting out a detector in the evening and collecting it in the morning.
Anyone can take part.

Project Leads

Email Contact

norfolkbatsurvey@bto.org

Follow this project

Project timeline, contributions & findings

Project timeline

2013 Start of the Norfolk Bat Survey
2015 Over 1 million bat recordings collected
2016 Survey trialled in Scotland

Contributions & findings

Who can take part?

The focus of this project is Norfolk, but bat detectors are now available for use in the Suffolk Brecks and in the Waveney River Catchment. The project is for anyone who is able to collect a bat detector and requires three different points, ideally at least 200-metres apart, to be surveyed on consecutive nights within a 1-km square. Please note: all participants are expected to abide by the BTO Code of Conduct.

When to take part

Between mid-April and September. We are limited by the number of detectors, so if you are interested you need to be quick in expressing interest and reserving your 1-km square to survey. Once you have reserved a square, you will be able to reserve a detector to use.

How to take part

Choose a 1-km square you would like to survey and follow an e-mail link you will receive to book out a detector. We have set up a number of 'Bat Monitoring Centres' across the county, from which you can borrow equipment for a few days to take part in the survey. You can contact the survey organiser Hazel Evans (norfolkbatsurvey [at] gmail.com) if you have any questions on the project.

Please note that this survey requires three different points (ideally at least 200-metres apart) to be surveyed ideally on consecutive nights within a 1-km square (read more under our survey methods).

Results to date

786 1-km squares (15% of Norfolk) have been surveyed for bats since the start of the project in 2013. This comprises 2,653 complete nights of recording, which has resulted in the collection and analyses of over half a million bat recordings from across the county.