Northern Ireland Bat Group

Northern Ireland Bat Group Northern Ireland Bat Group is a registered charity made up entirely of volunteers who help conserve and raise awareness on bats in Northern Ireland.

Our group is made up of volunteers from all walks of life with a common interest in bats. Since 1985 we rescue & rehabilitate bats; deliver bat talks & walks all over NI, gather bat records, assist with research projects and train people wishing to apply for a bat roost visitor license. We also work closely with the Bat Conservation Trust, NIEA, CEDaR & Bat Conservation Ireland

🙋‍♂️🙋‍♀️Volunteers needed in   Fintona/Enniskillen Help monitor bats in   to find out if their populations are increasin...
04/06/2026

🙋‍♂️🙋‍♀️Volunteers needed in

Fintona/Enniskillen

Help monitor bats in to find out if their populations are increasing, decreasing or stable 🦇

🦇Love bats? Volunteer with us!
We are looking for volunteers to help monitor bats in two locations in Ireland.
📈The main aim of Bat Conservation Ireland is to help conserve Irish bats. In order to ensure Irish bats are being conserved it is important to find out if their populations are increasing, decreasing or stable.
📊Regular monitoring is the key to picking up any declining (or increasing) trends, which are in turn, important in forming conservation policy and management on a nationwide and EU level. BCIreland manages five schemes to track trends in bat populations.
🦇The annual population trends of common pipistrelles, soprano pipistrelles and Leisler's bats are assessed every year by driven surveys across the island of Ireland. Along 28 pre-mapped routes, teams of two people drive slowly and use bat detectors to record the bats along roadsides twice in July and August. In order to derive reliable trends the same routes are driven year after year.
🔦We need new volunteer teams in Meath and Fermanagh to help cover these two routes so that we can find out how their populations are doing.
🦇No experience is needed, we provide training and we analyse the bat sounds afterwards to identify what bats were present.
🏡If you live in either of these two areas, you have the use of a car, you have a couple of evenings free in July and August, and have a willing team mate to help please get in touch!
For more information please email: [email protected]
Thanks to support from National Parks and Wildlife Service & Northern Ireland Environmental Agency.
📸 Tina Aughney

03/06/2026

FOUND A BAT?🦇

Use our easy contact form to connect quickly with a trained volunteer near you 👇

https://www.bats-ni.org.uk/bat-queries/

👉Select 'Grounded bat'

🦇Thanks from the bats! 😊

Centre for Environmental Data and Recording - CEDaR Northern Ireland Environment Agency Bat Conservation Trust

Well done to volunteer Inge on her first release yesterday 👏 Thanks so much to finder David for contacting us and keepin...
02/06/2026

Well done to volunteer Inge on her first release yesterday 👏 Thanks so much to finder David for contacting us and keeping him safe until help arrived 😊

We are well into busy bat rescue season so if you find a bat please get in touch via our contact form so that we can get a trained volunteer nearest you to respond:

👉https://www.bats-ni.org.uk/bat-queries/

Thanks to everyone who takes the time to help bats that are grounded or injured and for contacting us to get them the help they need ❤

01/06/2026

🦇COUNT BATS 🦇

We are well into bat survey season and time to count roosts!

Our umbrella organisation Bat Conservation Trust are looking for new roosts to add to the bat map in

If you have a bat roost it's easy to take part 🏡

👉Sign up to the survey and register your roost anytime if you are interested in counting your bats. By taking part in the Roost Count, you will be helping monitor how different bat species are faring across the UK.

🗓The Roost Count involves doing two evening counts between 6th and 25th June and at least five days apart.

To sign up 👇
https://www.bats.org.uk/our-work/national-bat-monitoring-programme/surveys/roost-count

🦇We will organise free roost count training for our members so if you'd like to learn how to use a heterodyne bat detector, identify bats in flight and gain new skills then please get in touch: [email protected]

National Bat Monitoring Programme

05/05/2026

Another one away - this time in Dungiven🦇🦇🦇

Thanks to our amazing volunteer Ian for travelling to collect & check him over. No injuries and thankfully after some food & water from Ian - away he went (very fast!) 😊

A big thank you also to finder Caoimhín for contacting us 👏

💻If you find a bat please contact us using our form so that we can pass it on quickly to a volunteer nearest to you: https://www.bats-ni.org.uk/bat-queries/

🦇AGM🦇Our annual general meeting will take place on:📆Sunday 17th May🕑2pm📍Dunsilly Hotel All members welcome.Refreshments ...
25/04/2026

🦇AGM🦇

Our annual general meeting will take place on:

📆Sunday 17th May
🕑2pm
📍Dunsilly Hotel

All members welcome.
Refreshments provided.

Please confirm your attendance and let us know any special dietary or access requirements: [email protected]

17/04/2026

Happy International Bat Appreciation Day from us and the bats 😊🦇🦇🦇

Find out more about our work at www.bats-ni.org.uk



📸 Thanks to Rowan and Steven Wise

11/04/2026

Look at him go!🦇🦇

The wee Ballymena bat was released successfully by our amazing carer Phil 👏

🦇Rescues continue..🦇This wee one arrived with our carer Phil yesterday from Ballymena.No injuries and a great appetite! ...
08/04/2026

🦇Rescues continue..🦇

This wee one arrived with our carer Phil yesterday from Ballymena.

No injuries and a great appetite! After some rest, rehydration and test flights he will be released soon 😊

Thanks so much to finder Andrea for contacting us and getting him the help he needs ❤

If you find a bat please contact us using our form - it helps us co-ordinate rescues quickly: https://www.bats-ni.org.uk/bat-queries/

11/03/2026

🦇News from our roost🦇

Hello friends 👋 We have been quiet on our socials but we have lots going on behind the scenes as always!

- We have new officers and committee in place

- We are organising free events for our 40th birthday including a very special event with Drumnaph Nature Reserve in October 🌠

- March issue of our membership newsletter 'The Leisler' will be sent to our members soon 📰

- We will have an information stall at Bat Conservation Ireland 11th Irish Bat Conference in Belfast on 21st & 22nd March

- Would you believe rescues haven't stopped over winter! Our dedicated and amazing network of volunteers have been working hard behind the scenes with rescues and caring over winter. Big thanks as always to Northern Ireland Environment Agency staff and Centre for Environmental Data and Recording - CEDaR for their help co-ordinating and transporting ❤

- We are gearing up for another busy survey season!

- We are planning free training for volunteers in April including Introduction to Bat Rescue and Roost Counts 🦇

Useful contacts 👇

- [email protected]
- [email protected]
- [email protected]
- [email protected]

Watch this space...

Address

Cultra

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Northern Ireland Bat Group posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organisation

Send a message to Northern Ireland Bat Group:

Share