TALK: Barbastelle Bats in the Bovey Valley

27th October. 7:45. Please follow the link to to book your place
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/barbastelle-bats-in-the-bovey-valley-tickets-123457038325

​Five years ago, researchers from the University of Bristol began a radio tracking project to study a Barbastelle bat colony in the Bovey Valley on the east of Dartmoor. The Woodland Trust commissioned the work together with Natural England, and the researchers set out to firstly find the roost trees and then to track the bats to their foraging sites. The aim of this research was to provide the woodland managers with information that could improve the habitat management for the species which is an oak wood specialist. The project was also set up to engage with a team of local volunteers who took an active role in tracking bats through the hours of the day and night.

​The ‘Barbastelle Bats in the Bovey Valley’ talk is in three parts. Firstly Matt Parkins will look back at the initial stages of the project by revisiting a 2015 presentation, then he will describe how the knowledge gained from the research has led to an improvement of habitat management methods and the development of an additional modelling exercise that was designed to predict whether more undiscovered roosts may exist in the valley. The final part will be led by Tom Williams, where he will explain how he spent some time using recording equipment to discover whether that model would indeed find more locations where this scarce species roosts.

Further details of how to book onto this event to follow!