Welcome to the events page
Bat Care Training - April 2025
Tina Wiffen is planning a couple of bat care training/refresher sessions in April, with help from Siobhan, Mandy and Lauren. These are open to anyone who wants to come along, not just bat carers, but also people that would be happy to pick up and deliver bats to carers.
The more helpers we can train in Northumberland, the easier bat care will be, as a wide geographical spread of people makes picking up injured or lost bats much quicker.
If you want to know more about bat care, what is is and what we do, please have a look at our website page: Bat Care – Northumberland Bat Group
The dates for training are:
Sat 12th April, 10:00-13:00, at Wallington, near Cambo, NE61 4AR, and
Sun 27th April, 10:30-13:30 at Gibside, near Rowlands Gill, NE16 6BG.
Thank you Helen and Tim for hosting us. They are filling up extremely fast to please act quickly to secure your place. The training is in conjunction with Durham Bat Group too.
You can register for the training by clicking on this link: Training Registration.
Winter Talks 2025
Tuesday 8th April at Prudhoe Riverside Park @7pm.
Prior to the AGM section which will last about 20 minutes, we will provide a talk on different types of bat detector and how to use them and for what types of survey. As a group, we have quite a range of bat detectors, so enabling people to use them, will increase our data collection for bat presence and activity across the county.
No need to sign up, just come on the day. The venue is the little café at Prudhoe riverside. Click Here for directions.
Northumberland Bat Group AGM 2025
21st January 2025 @7pm – Audiomoth Research – results from recording bats in the Pennines.
Please note the date amendment – I sent the wrong date out in the newsletter – the 21st is correct!
Come and hear a presentation about the species of bats that one of our members has been recording up in the Pennines. He has been using the Audiomoth detectors, and for such an apparently bleak area, found quite a range of bats too.
19th March 2025 @7pm – Foraging Fidelity and Genetic Connections: Insights into Natterer’s Bats, results from 3 years of field work in Northern England
About the talk: During her PhD fieldwork, Simone Mordue investigated how Natterer’s bats (Myotis nattereri) use the landscape—where they forage, how loyal they are to specific sites, and how their populations remain connected despite habitat fragmentation. Using radio-tracking over three years, she found that individual bats repeatedly return to the same foraging areas, but interestingly, not all bats prefer the same habitats. Some favoured woodland edges, while others hunted over meadows or along waterways, showing distinct individual specialisation in habitat use. Genetic analysis revealed that while summer roosting groups are spatially distinct, gene flow occurs through swarming sites, helping to maintain genetic diversity. Her research highlights the importance of protecting a network of diverse habitats to support the long-term survival of Natterer’s bats.
No need to sign up, just turn up on the night.The venue will be the café, at the Prudhoe Riverside Park Lots of free parking, and a railway station next door, so you can use public transport too.
NBNP Hibernation Surveys 2025
Saturday 22nd February 2025
Tina is planning an NBMP hibernation survey of the adits at Nenthead on Sat 22nd Feb.
We have been surveying the same sites since 2014 and are really starting to build up a picture of how the bats are using these sites.
You will need wellies, old warm clothes that you dont mind getting dirty, torches with lots of spare batteries and maybe also a change of boots/socks, the adits are all wet. Bring lunch, snacks and a flask, it will be cold!
If you have a caving helmet/hard hat that you are able to bring along that would be great, Tina has a few to lend out if not.
If you are interested in/able to come along please email Tina on malinka1999@btinternet.com. As ever, places are on a first come first served basis. Once signed up you will be given the meeting point time and reference.
We are entering known hibernacula, and to comply with IUCN and BCT guidelines :
All surveyors should have had a lateral flow test with a negative result within 48 hours before the survey (this is also essential for mitigating risks to bats). If a member of the survey team has COVID-type symptoms then they should not participate until they have had a PCR test with a negative result. Test kits are less than £2 can can be pre-ordered and picked up from Boots chemist (other chemists are available!).
FFP2 masks or better are a requirement when within hibernacula. If you don’t have a mask then Tina can provide a mask if you need one.
One last thing, for insurance purposes you need to be a member of Northumberland Bat Group to join these surveys, no worries if you are not, it is easy and free to join. Just go to the Contact Us page and sign up to the mailing list.