Bat Surveys of Churches

Summary

The course will be held in Northamptonshire in a church which holds a regionally significant maternity colony of Natterer’s bats along with various roosting Pipistrelle species.

Description

This course has been designed to identify various features that bats use in churches, but also applicable to many other historic buildings.
To look at pre-survey methodology. The course will then go through the preliminary bat roost assessment of a church, with small teams carrying out assessment of the church followed by a comparison of the survey carried out by the trainer in advance. A bit like FISC for Bats!!
With the results of the preliminary bat roost assessment, the trainee teams will then develop a phase 2 survey strategy in the classroom. This will then be compared with the other teams, with the trainer discussing various modifications and considerations. In particular, to identify where best practice guidance may not be the most effective way of determining bat usage of a Church (or indeed historic structure), and in particular deployment of NVAs.
This means that the course will commence in the afternoon and extend late into the evening finishing approximately two hours after sunset.
There will be a wide range of NVA equipment deployed but please feel free to bring your own to compare against those on site.
As the course is deliberately running when the maternity roost is present, and the proposed turning is close to parturition, the section of church where the principal roost is will be segregated but the actual roost feature evidence recreated on the opposite side of the church to mimic reality. This is a huge church and it will have no impact upon the actual training.

The course will be run by Barry Collins, an ecologist with over two decades of experience surveying buildings and a Church and historic building specialist. Barry holds the Bats in Churches Class Licence and has been involved with the project from its conception, as well as surveying over 100 Churches across the Midlands.

Who Should Attend?

Ecologists and interested parties with regard to surveying for bats, including the use of NVA.

Knowledge Level

Beginner - Intermediate

Learning Outcomes

• Recognise the pre-survey steps necessary for effective church survey
• Develop skills for preliminary ecological appraisal, churches and other structures
• Develop skills designing effective phase 2 emergence survey methods relevant to proposed works and but evidence present
• Looking at various night vision aids
• Opportunity to compare sonograms of Myotis and Pipistrellus species as a minimum

Refreshments

Delegates should bring their own evening meal or can eat at the local pub, but there are a range of food outlets within 20 minute of the village. We plan to have about an hour, at around 19:30.

Tickets