NORTH SOMERSET BAT SURVEY
The 2024 season is starting soon. Please email us to register your interest in taking part.
Welcome to the North Somerset Bat Survey! This project is part of the South West Wildlife Monitoring Project led by the Bat Conservation Research Lab at the University of Bath, working in partnership with BTO, North Somerset Council and the Avon Wildlife Trust.
Bats, due to the wide range of habitats they occupy and their sensitivity to environmental disturbance (among other reasons), serve as excellent 'bioindicators'. This means that the health of their populations provides us with a good picture of how wildlife is faring overall. As top predators of nocturnal insects, bats play a crucial role in the stability of ecosystems. Despite this, unsustainable development threatens bat populations globally through habitat loss and fragmentation. This is especially true in the South West. Over the next 15 years, North Somerset Council are required to build over 20,000 new homes, many of which will be built within areas used by rare bat species.
The North Somerset Bat Survey aims to gather spatial distribution data on bats across North Somerset to enable planners to minimise the impact of development on bats and wildlife at large, whilst engaging the public with bat conservation.
How does it work?
The North Somerset Bat Survey is a citizen science project, meaning that we rely on people like you to conduct bat monitoring surveys, no experience required!
This is how it works:
1. Sign up by reserving a 1 km square to survey (please only survey each square once per year).
2. Choose a survey location within your 1 km square and get permission from the landowner using our standard letter and landowner permission slip.
3. Reserve a detector (8 days/7 nights) from one of our Detector Hosting Centres.
4. Deploy the detector in your 1 km square for 6 nights.
5. Upload the data to our system.
6. Return the kit to the Detector Hosting Centre.
7. Await results!
Important Note: To participate, you’ll need a few things:
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A smartphone or tablet equipped with a Bluetooth chipset of version 4.0 or higher.
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A desktop PC or laptop running on at least Windows 7 or Apple OS X 10.10 (or later versions).
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A reliable internet connection for uploading data.
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Several megabytes of hard drive space for temporarily storing audio files before they’re uploaded.
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Ideally, a bamboo cane/pole onto which you can affix your detector.
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A sense of adventure!
If you encounter any technical issues while uploading audio files, don’t worry! You can simply post us your SD card and we’ll take care of the rest.
How do I join?
Please follow our step by step instructions below with links to PDF downloads and videos for a full comprehensive outline of what you need to do to complete the survey. All the videos and PDFs are also found on the resources page.
Before Your Survey
(What you need to do to prepare for your survey)
Reserve a survey square
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Click here to choose your survey square
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In your square pick your location (Video 2)
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Contact the landowner and get permission. Please allow up to 2 weeks for the landowner to grant permission.
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Send us the completed permission form
Links:
Set up Epicollect
Reserve a Detector
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Choose a detector centre near you and reserve a detector kit
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You should book via the booking link which was emailed to you after you have reserved your square
Create a BTO Account
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Create a BTO account and resgister for the BTO Pipeline
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Install the desktop upload client
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Install the Songmeter Configurator App
Day of Survey
(What you need to do on the first day of surveying)
Collect and prepare kit
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Follow the instructions to set up your detector prior to deployment
Links:
Visit square and place detector
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Visit your square
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Decide on the best location to set your detector
Links:
Set up your detector
Complete your Epicollect form
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Before leaving the detector make sure you complete your Epicollect form
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Then you can leave your detector for 6 nights!
Links:
After Recording
(What to do once the 6 days recording is finished)
Collect Detector
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Collect your detector
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Pack your kit up
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Complete your Epicollect Form
Links:
Upload data to BTO
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Once you get home, upload your data to the BTO pipeline
Links:
Recharge the batteries
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Recharge the batteries using the charger
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Empty (wipe) the SD card
Need help?
If you have any queries, please get in touch and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
You may find the answers you need quicker by reading our
Troubleshooting Guide or list of frequently asked questions (FAQs).
Info About Data
Due to the nature of this project, all results are confidential. Please do not share your results online or with anyone else!
All the information you need to set up the detector is included in the detector kit and also available on our resources page.
Collecting data over several years will provide us with lots of useful information about how bats use the landscape and will allow us to monitor any changes in distribution and abundance. Therefore, if possible, we ask that you consider monitoring your 1 km-square for the long-term.
Requirements:
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Smart phone or tablet with a minimum Bluetooth chipset version of 4.0.
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Desktop computer or laptop.
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Competent in using technology.
Get in contact with us if you need help or have any questions at
Partners & Funders
We thank our partners and funders for their essential contribution to the success of this project.
