Tom Marshall
The Devon Bat Survey 2024
The Devon Bat Survey 2024
The Devon Bat Survey is a citizen science project brought to you as part of Saving Devon’s Treescapes, a partnership project led by Devon Wildlife Trust on behalf of the Devon Ash Dieback Resilience Forum. The bat survey forms part of the project's monitoring of key species with a dependence on our treescapes.
How does it work?
The Devon Bat Survey aims to give people across Devon the opportunity to find out which bats are active near them, and to contribute that data to the county’s species database held by the Devon Biodiversity Records Centre (DBRC), where it will be used to inform research and conservation activities.
Anyone within reach of one of our host centres (see locations on our map here) can book a bat detector for 3 nights during the survey period. Once you have checked that you can get to one of our host centres during its opening hours (check here) to collect a detector, and return it 3 days later, click the link below to sign up to take part.
After sign-up you will be directed to the booking system to reserve your survey square and your detector. We have divided the county into 1km x 1km squares (monads). The detectors must only be left in a private, secure space, which means most participants survey in their gardens, so you will be requesting the survey square that contains your home address. To allow as many people to take part as possible, and to optimise coverage, we only allow 1 survey per monad. If you can meet the criteria for keeping the detector secure on behalf of a community group or school, e.g. within its own grounds, we also welcome you to take part.
When it is your time to survey, you will collect the detector kit from the host centre and follow the instructions provided for setup. The bat detector is pre-programmed to record bat echolocation calls each night. After 3 nights of recording, you will pack away the detector and return it to the host centre. Before returning the kit, make a copy of the data folder on the SD card from your detector to your computer. You will need this to upload to the BTO Acoustic Pipeline to process your results. If you know you have slow or unreliable broadband, you have the option to post the SD card with the data on it back to DWT to process for you (see instruction manual for full details or the quick start guide).
NOTE: To upload your data to the BTO Acoustic Pipeline you will require access to a computer with Windows or Apple operating systems and you will need to have registered as a user of the BTO acoustic pipeline (which is the system used to process the survey data). Full instructions on setting up your detector will be provided when you collect your detector (the instruction manual can also be found here, the quick start guide here, and you can view our video on how to set it up here); instructions for registering for the ‘MyBTO’ and Acoustic Pipeline are here.
**IMPORTANT: please check you can satisfy the following before registering to take part**
- The detectors are static and once set-up, are left in place for 3 nights. You must only place them in a secure, private location, with the permission of the landowner.
- You must be able to collect and return your detector from the nearest host centre during their stated opening hours on the dates you book (see map for host centre locations and check opening hours here).
- Access to a computer running Windows or Apple operating systems and some confidence with technology is required to set up the detector and upload the recordings (please see the instruction manual, quick start guide and/or set-up video to see what is involved).
- You must register for a ‘MyBTO’ account and upload your data to the BTO Acoustic Pipeline (further information is here), or post your SD card back to DWT promptly after your survey.
- The survey is very popular and is always oversubscribed. If you find you will be unable to conduct your survey, please cancel your booking or contact bats@devonwildlifetrust.org with as much notice as possible so that someone else can have an opportunity to take part.
- All participants must read and comply with the Devon Bat Survey Risk Assessment – read the Risk Assessment here.
Sign ups for the Devon Bat Survey 2024 will open on Tuesday 7 May - come back then!
- If you have already booked, here are the full addresses, contact details and opening hours for the host centres.
- Full written instructions for borrowers are found here, a quick start guide can be found here, and a video showing how to set up the detector is here.
- Check our FAQs below
- If you are organising a survey on land that is not your own, please download and use our permission form and introduction letter here.
FAQs
How easy is it to set-up the detector?
It is helpful to have a little confidence with technology to set up the detector, or to enlist the help of someone who does. Full instructions are provided, and most participants have no issues setting up the detector. If you are unsure, take a look at the full instructions here or quick start guide here before you sign up to the survey to see what’s involved. The instructions are easier to follow when you have the equipment in front of you. This video also shows you how to set up the detector.
Can Devon Wildlife Trust deliver, set-up and take-away the detector for me?
Most participants gain enormous satisfaction from having set up the detector and conducted the survey themselves. We do not have the resources to deliver and set-up detectors. We have organised the project with host centres acting on our behalf, so that we are keeping travel (and carbon footprints) to a minimum and provide everything you need to set up the survey yourself. If you do have any queries during set-up, help is available during office hours Mon-Thurs from Lindsay, the Bat Survey Coordinator on 07909 490278.
How long until I get the results from my survey?
If you have a reasonable broadband connection and speed, you can upload your results directly to the BTO Acoustic Pipeline, and the system will return your results usually in just a few hours. If this isn’t possible, you may post your data back to DWT’s Devon Bat Survey Coordinator to process for you – in this case we would hope to return results to you within a few weeks.
What is the data used for?
The main aim of the Devon Bat Survey is to help us understand how bats are faring across Devon and in the Saving Devon's Treescapes project core areas. The confirmed bat species records become part of Devon Biodiversity Records Centre’s (DBRC) species database, which Devon Wildlife Trust, other organisations and the public can access. The data can then be used to help conservation efforts, scientific research, inform planning proposals and much more. For more information head to Devon Biodiversity Records Centre’s website.
Is the Devon Greater Horseshoe Bat project still going?
After 5 years supporting Devon’s bats, the Devon Greater Horseshoe Bat Project came to an end in January 2021. It was a hugely successful project thanks to everyone who took part. We are delighted to be able to continue with the Devon Bat Survey as part of the Saving Devon’s Treescapes (SDT) project’s citizen science activities. You can find out more about SDT here. The website for the Devon Greater Horseshoe Bat Project contains lots of useful information about bats and can be found here.
I want to help bats in my garden, how can I do this?
There are lots of ways you can help bats in your garden – did you know that some of our rarer bat species are sensitive to light? Turning off (or having motion sensor) outside lights, insect friendly gardening and maybe even making your own bat box can help your local bats. To find out more visit the Devon Greater Horseshoe Bat Project website here and the Bat Conservation Trust's guidance here.
I didn’t get any bats in my garden, will I still be added to the survey?
Although it can be disappointing if no bats were recorded during your survey, it does not mean that there are no bats about near you. Bats can use different areas of their home range so may have been absent on the 3 nights that you surveyed. Sometimes it is too cold or wet for bats and their insect prey, so they will not be very active. Very rarely there can be a problem with the bat detector. On the rare occasion when no bats are recorded, we will do our best to give you another chance to take part, so will be in touch if any other survey slots are available.
Which bats were found last year?
In 2023 the BTO Acoustic Pipeline identified all 16 bat species known to be resident in Devon.
Where can I pick up a detector?
In 2024, during the booking process you will be able to book a detector from one of several host centre locations in Devon. Check here for the full list of host centres, and their opening times.
Are there any bat walks I can join to learn more?
Keep an eye on DWT’s events page for details of any bat walks. Saving Devon’s Treescapes will be hosting 5 bat walks between May and September, and other projects and local groups will also be holding their own events.