BatChat
Taking you into the field to discover the world of bat conservation. BatChat is for anyone who loves bats or has an interest in the conservation of these fascinating mammals. Ecologist and Bat Conservation Trust Trustee Steve Roe takes you on-location, talking to the experts as well as local heroes to bring you the latest from the world of bats.
Series 7 is coming on Wednesday 5th November with episodes released every other Wednesday. In this upcoming series we travel to the Yorkshire Dales to visit the Hoffman limekiln, to Pembrokeshire to visit the infamous greater horseshoe bat roost at Stackpole and to a disused water mill that is now home to one of the most important bat colonies in Wales.
Get in touch with feedback and ideas for stories you’d like to hear: comms@bats.org.uk
Bats are magical but misunderstood mammals. At the Bat Conservation Trust we have a vision of a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together.
Episodes
72 episodes
Big News – Behind the Mic
We’ve hit a milestone - and it’s all thanks to you! In this special bonus episode, host Steve Roe takes you behind the scenes of BatChat: from the podcast’s beginnings in 2018 to the present day. Discover how the show came to be...
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Season 6
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Episode 67
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19:33
Frome After Dark: A Town on the Hunt for Bats
S6E66 In this episode, we're in the charming market town of Frome in Somerset, where the locals take part in a hands-on citizen science event. Armed with bat detectors, participants are sent out around town to record any bats they spot.W...
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Season 6
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Episode 66
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35:42
Restore Nature Now
S6E65 In this noisy episode, we’re taking you to the heart of the Restore Nature Now march in Central London, where 60,000+ passionate individuals gathered on June 22nd 2024, to demand stronger action for nature. The Bat Conservation T...
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Season 6
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Episode 65
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27:29
NightWatch: Breaking Barriers to Bat Conservation
S6E64 In this episode of BatChat, we’re shining a spotlight on NightWatch, a groundbreaking community science project from the Bat Conservation Trust. Launched in 2021, NightWatch is the only initiative of its kind in the UK, helping peo...
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Season 6
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Episode 64
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24:00
Farms, Bats & Climate: Connecting Communities
S6E63 Climate change is shifting the landscape—literally. But what does that mean for wildlife, especially bats? This episode takes us into the Connecting People and Landscapes in a Changing Climate project, a hands-on effort bringing fa...
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Season 6
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Episode 63
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43:22
The Bat Night Market
S6E62 🌙 The Bat Night MarketImagine a world without bats. Ever heard of a market that comes alive at night—just like bats? We visit the Bat Night Market, an immersive event blending art, science, and nature. Inspired by ba...
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Season 6
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Episode 62
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40:01
Where Do Pipistrelles Go? A Winter Mystery
S6E61 Recorded in the winter of 2024, in this episode we travel to the Northumberland coastline to a National Trust property called Seaton Delaval Hall. We’re there because this property is home to the UK’s largest-known pipistrelle bat hiberna...
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Season 6
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Episode 61
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23:58
Into the Forest: Barbastelle Bats of Pembrokeshire
S6E60. In this episode, we venture into the ancient Pengelli Forest in Pembrokeshire to uncover the story behind one of the region's most remarkable bat discoveries. Back in 2000, Margaret Clarke discovered presence of barbastelle bats, a speci...
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Season 6
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Episode 60
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33:48
An Evening with Somerset's Rarest Bat
S6E59 This week, we’re diving into an evening adventure at the stunning Tintinhull Gardens in Somerset, owned by the National Trust. Joining the Somerset Bat Group, we’re on the hunt for one of the UK’s rarest bats – the elusive grey long-ea...
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Season 6
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Episode 59
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38:34
Batting on a Budget: Phil Atkin’s Game-Changing Bat Detector
S6Ep58 In this episode of BatChat, Steve sits down with Phil Atkin, the creator of a groundbreaking bat detector that’s making waves in the bat conservation community. Using the Raspberry Pi Pico computer, Phil has designed a cost-effective way...
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Season 6
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Episode 58
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34:49
Into the Knapp: A Night Walk with Worcestershire Bat Group
Step into the nocturnal world of the Knapp and Papermill Reserve with the Worcestershire Bat Group! In this immersive field recording, join us for a unique bat walk through the varied habitats of this Worcestershire Wildlife Trust Nature Reserv...
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Season 6
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Episode 57
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28:56
Megan McCubbin
S6E56 We’re back with a brand new series! At the 2024 National Bat Conference at the University of Reading, zoologist and wildlife TV presenter Megan McCubbin joined us to chair a thought-provoking debate on ethical conservation. In between ses...
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Season 6
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Episode 56
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43:45
Our 6th Series is just around the corner...
Get ready for an action-packed Series 6 of BatChat! This season, we're bringing you breaking news from the bat world, and that’s just the beginning. We’ll take you on a twilight bat walk, explore a buzzing night market with a twist and head dee...
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1:41
How to get a bat licence - with Richard Crompton
S5E55 Sat in the entrance to a cave in Wales, hidden amongst temperate rainforest, Richard Crompton gives you his insight into the best way to go about getting your bat licence. Richard has been training ecologists for many years now with aroun...
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Season 5
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Episode 55
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40:13
Bats at the National Trust
S5E54 This week Steve sits down with Joanne Hodgkins, nature conservation advisor for the National Trust. Sitting in the hot August sunshine at The Vyne near Basingstoke, Steve finds out how the National Trust cares not just for it's special pl...
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Season 5
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Episode 54
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24:49
The sonic success of David King; Inventor of BatBox detectors
S5E53 This week we join David King who created the BatBox III and BatBox Duet detectors amongst several others for four decades. David tells Steve of how it all came about and they delve into the history of bat detecting, how the Bat Detective ...
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Season 5
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Episode 53
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29:01
Bat Tracking; the drones changing the way we can undertake research
S5E52 Steve calls in to Canberra, Australia to chat with Dr Debbie Saunders. For over 20 years Debbie has worked as an ecologist and studied the movements of small migratory birds. This includes the Swift Parrot, one of Australia’s most e...
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Season 5
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Episode 52
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32:19
Bats in the Channel: Jersey Bat Group
S5E51 Join Steve in early summer on the Island of Jersey as he sits down with a trio from the bat group. In this interview we hear about the historic work of the group and the sort of survey work being done at the moment on the Island. With 18 ...
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Season 5
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Episode 51
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33:06
Boathouse to Bat House
S5E50 On the edge of Kidderminster lies Hurcott Pool and Wood Nature Reserve. An old boathouse on the edge of the pool has been repurposed by Worcestershire Bat Group and a few minutes away lies Lea Castle Village where the street lighting has ...
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Season 5
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Episode 50
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32:05
Walking with bats
S5E49 This week we join BCT member Mark Ferguson who has just released his latest album; Walking With Bats. What does it sound like to go bat detecting? From start to finish, this question has underpinned Walking with Bats. Mark's main goal thr...
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Season 5
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Episode 49
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32:06
The Lifesaving Legacy of Livingstone's Fruit Bats at Jersey Zoo
S5E48 Jersey Zoo in the Channel Islands is home to 90% of the world's captive population of Livingstone's fruit bats. With an estimated 1300 in the wild, this captive breeding programme is vital to the survival of the species in a disaster even...
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Season 5
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Episode 48
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34:17
Gargoyle Guardians: A Bat Count at Lacock Abbey with the Wiltshire Bat Group
S5E47 On the edge of the Cotswolds lies Lacock Abbey, home to Professor Quirrel's classroom and the Mirror of Erised. But whilst millions of people will recognise the Cloisters of the Abbey used in the filming of the Harry Potter franchise, a r...
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Season 5
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Episode 47
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23:24
The Bechstein's of Bracketts
S5E46 Hidden in west Dorset is a nature reserve which holds a very special secret. A bat box scheme which was installed in the late 1990's is home to one of the most well-studied colonies of Bechstein's bats. Join Steve as he spends the day wit...
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Season 5
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Episode 46
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41:14