What we do
Two key, linked objectives of the group are to advance the protection and
conservation of bats and their roosts and to educate the public about bats.
To this end we offer presentations about bats to local groups and societies
and lead bat walks for small groups and for organisations like the National
Trust. If you would like to organise a presentation or a bat walk for your
group, please email
We also attend a small number of events each year, with the objective of
meeting members of the public who might not otherwise come to hear about bats.
A handful of our members are involved in the rescue and rehabilitation of
grounded bats. While saving the life of a single bat may not add greatly
to the welfare of wider populations, these cases often prove pivotal in
winning hearts and minds of members of the public.
On occasion we receive funding in mitigation for activities which have
adversely affected local bat populations. Recently we used such funds
to buy bat boxes which we then supplied to communities in South Warwickshire.
Activities for members
In addition to our public-facing activities, we aim to organise events of
interest to our members, and would be interested to hear members' ideas
for additional activities.
Examples of activities include
Bat box inspections
These are walks around a site where a number of bat boxes have been
installed at a location such as Snitterfield Bushes Nature Reserve or
Whichford Wood. The walks are led by a member of the group who is
licensed to handle bats. The members of the group are asked to help
carry ladders and other equipment (such as spare boxes). The
licensed member(s) of the group go up the ladders to check each bat
box to ascertain whether there is evidence that it has been (or is
being) used by bats.
Surveys
BCT organises volunteers across the UK to survey a range of bat
species. There are a number of sites in Warwickshire which have
been monitored by members for several years and others which need
monitors. Although you don’t need to be a member of the bat group
to participate in a BCT survey, joining this group can provide
you with training and mentoring. Details about the surveys can be
found here
https://www.bats.org.uk/our-work/national-bat-monitoring-programme/surveys
There are two lesser horseshoe bat roosts in Warwickshire and the
number of bats using them is monitored by conducting emergence
surveys on two evenings in July. Some members also monitor roosts
of less rare bats and members of the public are encouraged to
monitor roosts in their own properties.
Projects
We have conducted projects to look for Nathusius’s pipistrelles,
barbastelle bats and serotines. The group has a set of static
detectors as well as hand held detectors. We have our own harp
trap which is used during some projects and may be borrowed by
suitably licenced members for their own work.
Training
We offer training for members including detector skills workshops,
roost visitor training and bat care training although we are unable
to offer training to the level required for obtaining a
survey/research licence.
Walks and Talks
The bat group responds to requests from organisations wishing to
host bat walks. These involve an introductory talk about bats
and bat detectors followed by a walk in the chosen area for
around an hour. Members are encouraged to get experience in
leading a bat walk and giving talks about bats. It’s important
to ensure that a risk assessment is conducted first – by the
requester if the walk is to be covered by their insurance or by
the leader if the walk is to be covered by BCT’s insurance for
bat groups.
From October to March we aim to organise talks about bats and
their habitats which will be of interest to our members and
the wider public, and would be interested to hear members'
ideas for topics/speakers for future talks.
To see the current list of events, visit the
what's on section.
Talks are generally held at The Kenilworth Senior Citizens' Club and your can
view a map to find it here.
(Yes, The Kenilworth Senior Citizens' Club is actually in the car park behind the shops!)