Hampshire Bat Group

22/10/2026

A good turnout for our October meeting 🦇

Thank you to everyone who attended, and to those who baked some batty goods 🎂

18/10/2026

What have Hampshire’s bat enthusiasts been up to this summer? Come along and find out!

Join us at Swanwick Lakes on Thursday 22 October for Hampshire Bat Group’s first members’ meeting after the summer break. We’ll hear a series of talks about the exciting projects and activities our members have been involved in:

🦇 Carol and George Baber will tell us about their bat survey projects at Salisbury Cathedral and conservation work at Leckford.

🛠️ Simon Bizley will recount the challenges and repair work at Privett Tunnel.

💚 Robyn Myers will share her experiences as a new bat carer.

🎃 To get into the spooky spirit, members are encouraged to bring along some Halloween-themed treats to share. Batty bakes and creepy creations welcome!

We look forward to seeing you there! 🦇

09/09/2026

Love bats and want to find out more?
Why not come along this evening to this month's 'Colden Common Talks..' with Nik Knight from Hampshire Bat Group

All welcome.
Free to attend.
7.30pm start.

08/09/2026

🦇 A rare visitor to Andover town centre!

Yesterday, a member of the public spotted this beautiful barbastelle bat (Barbastella barbastellus) roosting in an exposed position in Andover town centre. The bat hung around for a little while before eventually flying away.

Barbastelles are one of our rarer and more elusive bat species, so it was a particularly exciting find – and certainly not something you expect to come across in the middle of town!

It is quite unusual to see a bat roosting so openly during daylight hours. Bats will normally choose sheltered, concealed places to rest, where they are protected from the weather and potential predators. A bat sitting out in an exposed position during the day can therefore be vulnerable, and in some cases unusual daytime behaviour may indicate that a bat is injured, exhausted or otherwise in need of help.

Thankfully, this little barbastelle was able to fly away of its own accord. 🦇

If you ever find a bat and are unsure whether it is safe, healthy or in need of assistance, please contact the Hampshire Bat Group Bat Care & Rescue team on 07760 504257. If nobody answers, please leave a voicemail or text message with your name, area and telephone number.

📸 Photo kindly provided by the finder.

27/07/2026

🦇 Bat Trapping Opportunity! 🦇

We're pleased to offer one place on a bat trapping event in Hampshire on 31st July 2026 for a Hampshire Bat Group member who is working towards their Level 2 bat licence.

If you'd like to be considered, please email [email protected] to register your interest. If we receive more than one expression of interest, the place will be allocated by a random draw to keep the process fair.

To be eligible, you must be a current paid-up member of the Hampshire Bat Group. Membership will be checked against our records before the place is allocated.

Good luck, and we look forward to hearing from you! 🦇

P.S: Don't forget, volunteer opportunities will mostly be advertised in our members-only WhatsApp group: https://chat.whatsapp.com/DbdRqaKbgNXBbmu12ozWbo

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