Hampshire Bat Group

30/04/2026

Our AGM is currently underway, and our Membership Secretary Paris has just notified us that 60 memberships are about to expire. Don't forget to renew your membership for just £8 per year or £20 for three years:

https://www.hampshirebatgroup.org.uk/get-involved

Members get access to meetings and projects, as well as receiving bat updates in the form of bulletins and our bi-annual newsletter 'Bat Droppings'.



Pictured: Nik Knight presents 'a year of the HBG' at the April 2026 AGM.

24/04/2026

Next In-Person Members Meeting – Will you be there?

On Thursday 30th April 2026, our Chairman, Nik Knight, will be sharing insights into the ambitious projects the Hampshire Bat Group has taken on over the years - along with exciting updates on what’s currently in progress.

We’ll also be holding our Annual General Meeting (AGM), including a look back at the past year’s activities and the election of our committee.

Please make sure your membership is up to date so you’re able to take part in the AGM and vote in the committee elections (or just come and say hi!) https://www.hampshirebatgroup.org.uk/get-involved

It’s a great opportunity to get involved, stay informed, and connect with fellow bat enthusiasts 🦇

Conservation of bats in Hampshire, UK

14/04/2026

The North Hampshire Bat Box Project has just got even bigger, thanks to George and Carole Baber, who have very kindly organised a new set of bat boxes.

Last week, a small team of volunteers helped install these new boxes on the Leckford Estate, with further checks and transect surveys planned over the coming months.

If you’d like to get involved, you can join our new WhatsApp group, which is designed to keep people updated on upcoming Bat Group opportunities and activities.

This group is for members only, so if you’ve recently requested to join and it’s taking a little time to be approved, please don’t worry - our membership secretary is just taking a moment to confirm details before granting access ✔️

Thanks for your patience, and we’re really looking forward to welcoming more of you into the project!

https://chat.whatsapp.com/DbdRqaKbgNXBbmu12ozWbo?mode=gi_t

03/04/2026

During bat box checks in Andover today, our team came across this incredibly tough, fibrous material inside a box mounted to Scots Pine tree.

Do you know who could have made this? 🧐

02/04/2026

Looking for volunteering opportunities with bats? We hear you! 🦇

We know it can sometimes be tricky to get involved, especially when projects are popular and spaces fill up quickly. To help make things a little easier, we’ve set up a WhatsApp group where volunteering opportunities will be shared as they come up.

This group is just for our members, so if you’ve recently requested to join and it’s taking a little time, don’t worry — our membership secretary is simply confirming everyone’s details before approving access ✔️

Thanks for your patience, and we’re excited to help you get involved!

https://chat.whatsapp.com/DbdRqaKbgNXBbmu12ozWbo?mode=gi_t

01/04/2026

😁😁

UPDATE - Happy April Fool's! Sorry, we couldn't resist! These are magnolia flower sepals - which is the green bit around the flower - and not bat ear muffs. Did we trick you? 👀

As the weather gets warmer, brown long-eared bats will start shedding their ear muffs which protects their fragile ears from the cold during hibernation.

If you find these on the floor in your local area, you are in luck - brown long-eared bats are around! 🥰

30/03/2026

At the end of last week, three members of HBG took part in the second climbing day at Ewhurst Park, where we’ve been invited to help investigate the bats on site 🦇 You’ll be able to read more about this exciting project in the next edition of 'Bat Droppings' -our members-only newsletter.

During this visit, we discovered one bat… but can you work out what species it is? These can be surprisingly tricky to ID when they’re roosting!

If you’re a qualified and insured climber, don’t forget to vote in the poll to help choose our April and May climbing dates. Who’s going to be the one to find the second bat roost?

https://doodle.com/group-poll/participate/avxz2W0d

17/03/2026

Calling all climbers! We have a date for your diary.

We recently circulated an email to members calling on all (qualified and insured) tree climbers to vote on a day to investigate the trees at Ewhurst Park in Tadley.

Members have voted, and a small group will be attending the site on 27th March 10am - 5pm.

If you are a climber and would like to join them, please email [email protected]

If youre not a HBG member but would like to join the team - you can quickly and easily sign up via our website.

04/03/2026

Some of our group members are currently in Africa, undertaking a bat trapping programme to help a rhino reserve understand their resident bat population. Data gathering also involves some DNA analysis which has already identified the presence of Rhinolophus smithersi - the first confirmed record in the region and only the second confirmed record for Zimbabwe!

We wish good luck to the team over the coming two weeks and look forward to hearing about their findings.

Pictured: Mauritian tomb bat (Taphozous mauritianus)

13/02/2026

In January this year, we had our first (visual) record of a barbastelle bat at one of our regular hibernation sites. The bat was spotted by a new member who was helping us mount a static detector.

Thanks to Richard Ford for snapping a photo!