04.07.12 - Bat Conservation Ireland - Free Training Courses and Waterway Survey
Bat Conservation Ireland is providing free evening training courses around the country with 15-16 training courses being planned over the summer (click here for a list of those courses).
It is also the 7th year of the All Ireland Duabenton’s Bat Waterway Survey and Bat Conservation Ireland are seeking volunteers across the island.
Are you interested in surveying your local waterway for Daubenton’s bat on two nights during the month of August? If so, join Bat Conservation Ireland for free training at number of different centres during the month of July (for dates and details of training venues please see http://www.batconservationireland.org/php/events.php). This training will involve an indoor lecture followed by a practical session using bat detectors on a local river.
This survey is part a monitoring scheme recording the activity of the Daubenton’s bat.
These yearly surveys allow us to determine whether the population of this bat species is increasing or decreasing. The more volunteer teams we have the more accurate our information is. In 2011, 229 waterways were surveyed across the island. Your help is needed to increase coverage for the island.
The Daubenton’s bat is known as the water bat because of its preference to roost and feed close to water such as rivers and lakes.
It is easy to identify because of all of our nine resident species of bat, it is the only species that will be seen continuously skimming the water surface as it is feeding on insects. Surveyors will be in teams of two people.
Bat Conservation Ireland will provide the use of a bat detector for the survey. No prior experience is needed.
The All Ireland Daubenton’s Bat Waterway Survey is funded by the NPWS, Department of Arts, Heritage and Local Government and NIEA, Northern Ireland.
If you would like more information or would like to register, please visit http://www.batconservationireland.org/php/monitoring_daub.php
