Bats guide
WildID Bats is two guides in one: a night-time companion that helps you identify bats on the wing by their calls and flight patterns, and a daytime key for recognising bats at rest.
- Identification guide to all 16 breeding species in Britain
- Identify resting bats in daytime with straightforward yes/no questions
- Identify flying bats at night with sonograms and flight patterns
- Practical for use outdoors: lightweight, rucksack-sized, splash-proof
Bats are fascinating; the only mammals that can fly. Although there are more than a thousand species worlwide, Britain is home to 16 species. All of the British species of eat insects, including beetles, moths, flies and midges. They navigate and locate insects by echolocation, making high frequency ultrasonic calls and listening for the pattern of returning echoes.
It is an offence to disturb a wild bat unless you have a licence. So beginners should start by trying to identify bats in flight. Fortunately you can gather initial clues without using any special equipment, and this guide will show you what to look for. Useful information includes size, flight pattern, habitat and emergence time after dusk.
A bat detector will help you proceed with correct identification to species. This guide covers bat identification using both heterodyne and time expansion detectors. Heterodyne detectors, which are generally cheaper, transform the ultrasonic calls to sounds that humans can hear. The guide describes each species’ call. By contrast, time expansion detectors record the ultrasonic calls. The guide gives the frequency range, duration range and sonogram of each species.
Field Studies Council worked with the Mammal Society to produce the Bats guide.
