Surrey Bat Group

Forthcoming Events

BAT WALKS

There is usually a charge for these but this does not apply to Surrey Bat Group members – if you have a detector bring it along (without your headphones on this occasion) as this will enhance the experience for everyone else.
NB – For some of these, special opening arrangements are made for sites which normally shut by dusk. If you are late, entrance gates may be locked.

Friday 13th August - National Trust Bat Walk, Ankerwyke
Park in the turning circle at the main entrance to the site (there is an NT information board in the middle) in Magna Carta Lane off the B376 (between M25 junction 13 and Wraysbury TQ005732. Start time 8:30 p.m.
 

Wednesday 25th August - National Trust Bat Walk, Winkworth Arboretum
Public booking essential - call 01483 208477. Adults £8, children £4.
Start time 7:30 pm. Meet at the Arboretum, Hascombe Road, Godalming GU8 4AD, SU989413.

Friday 3rd September - Haslemere Natural History Society Bat Walk, Frensham Little Pond (National Trust)
Meet at National Trust car park SU858417.  No need to book, but donations to HNHS will be welcomed. Start time 7:15 p.m.

Saturday 4th September - National Trust Bat Walk, Claremont Landscape Gardens (between Esher and Cobham). Meet in the car park just inside the entrance which is on the A307, Portsmouth Road (on the right hand side if you are driving north), TQ128632. Start time 7.30pm. (Don’t be late or the entrance gate may be shut.) Please contact Lynn and Ross a week or so before if you plan to attend, as NT need to know numbers.
Public bookings direct to NT Claremont 01372 467806

Wednesday 8th September - National Trust Bat Walk, Winkworth Arboretum
Public booking essential - call 01483 208477. Adults £8, children £4.
Start time 7:15 pm. Meet at the Arboretum, Hascombe Road, Godalming GU8 4AD, SU989413.

BAT SURVEYS  

The group usually undertakes a number of bat surveys each year.
The next one is on Sunday 25th July at NT Clandon Park, where we will be looking for swarming bats shortly before dawn. A very early start, but it's Sunday, so you can sleep afterwards!
Let Lynn and Ross know if you are interested in helping out.

BAT BOX CHECKS

The group has a number of well established bat box schemes in the county and we undertake checks of these periodically in spring and autumn. Please contact Ross or Lynn if you would like to come along. Details will be sent to those on our e-mail list.

SHOWS & DISPLAYS
Surrey Bat Group is often invited to take part in events with a wildlife or conservation theme, usually in the summer. If you can help by manning the Bat Group stand at one of these for part (or all!) of a day please let Ross and Lynn know.

 

INDOOR MEETINGS 
(a summary of past meetings appears at the bottom of this page)
Our winter indoor meetings are held at the National Trust’s Dapdune Wharf, Wharf Road, Guildford. Wharf Road is off Woodbridge Road, between the Methodist church and the southern side of the cricket ground. Go to the end of Wharf Road, through the National Trust gate on the right, along a roadway over speed bumps to the car park on the left hand side. We meet at 8:00 p.m. in the tea-room there.

Our indoor meetings will recommence in late autumn once our field activities decline. Details will be posted here as soon as available.

HIBERNATION SITE CHECKS

During the course of the winter we carry out a programme of hibernation site checks at various venues throughout the county. Surveys are done during December, January and February.
For conservation reasons places on these visits are extremely limited but please let Ross and Lynn know if you are interested in attending one.

Past Events - 2010

Saturday 17^th April - Bat evening/detector practice, Frensham Little Pond.
Some splendid views of noctules feeding around the pond at sunset, and good pipistrelle and Daubenton's activity before the temperature dropped.

Thursday 18^th February – “Last Chance to See.”
A final visit by Frank Greenaway before he moves away from the southeast.
This time, Frank summarised the evolution of his spectacular bat photography from the 1970s onwards. The quality of the photos used to illustrate  the developments in technique and technology was truly stunning!

Thursday 21^st January – A Bat Holiday in Hungary. Our friends from Bedfordshire Bat Group, Bob Cornes and Jude Hirstwood, told us about a trip they took part in and the many exciting bats they saw well.

Past Events - 2009

Saturday 8^th May – National Trust Bat Walk, Claremont Landscape Gardens

Thursday 17th December - Bats at Richmond Park
Assistant Manager, Adam Curtis, told us about the bat surveys carried out in Richmond Park this summer.

Thursday 19th November - Crispin Scott, Nature Conservation Adviser for the National Trust's SE Region told us about his work with NT, with particular emphasis on bats in the Surrey NT properties.

Wednesday 27th May - Public Bat Walk at NT Winkworth Arboretum

Another memorable walk. Very close views of common and soprano pipistrelles feeding and Daubenton's bats over the lake. An obliging noctule patrolled above us just before dark, giving everyone a very good look at this large bat.
 

Saturday 16^th May - Public Bat Walk at NT Claremont Landscape Gardens

An excellent show by the two main pipistrelle species, several Nathusius' pipistrelles and Daubenton's bats, with a few faint noctule calls detected.

Thursday 19^th March - Bats of the Pantanal, Brazil, Ross Baker.
A really fascinating account of the various bats trapped by Ross and Lynn on their recent Earthwatch trip. Their spectacular pictures included close-ups of each species together with some of a number of other interesting creatures seen in the locality.

Thursday 19^th February - Bats and lighting, Alison Fure, Furesfen Ecological Consultancy.
Alison described how different bat species are affected by high light
levels, stressing the need for bat workers to convince planners,
councils, road builders etc. of the harmful nature of excessive lighting
of bat roosting, commuting and foraging areas, and particularly
waterways. Further information can be found in Alison's paper on the
subject, available free at http://www.furesfen.co.uk/bats_and_lighting.pdf

Thursday 15^th January - Bat care and rehabilitation, Amanda Millar, Sussex Bat Group.
A very instructive session for those of us involved in bat rescue and rehabilitation, including some wonderful video of the Sussex BG release programme 'Batzebo' in use.