We try to save costs and time by meeting online, but it’s so easy to overlook the true value of meeting in person. A weekend at The @batconservation.bsky.social #NatBatConf has reminded me just how important (and enjoyable) face-to-face conversations are.

Very happy with my @batconservation.bsky.social #NatBatConf raffle prize - a bundle of goodies from @ccoxonart.bsky.social

The final talk of @batconservation.bsky.social #NatBatConf was on impact of anthropogenic noise on bats by Camilia Soravia. Importantly considering the impact on roosting bats, alongside the combined impacts of artificial light as well. Read the paper at: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Dave Anderson’s talk on bats and underground sites at @batconservation.bsky.social #NatBatConf was excellent! We didn’t get to see all 45 minutes of two Natterer’s bats mating and there was no sound on the film, but Dave assured us the noise is rather impressive! The joy of bat conferences 🦇❤️🦇

Love the wonderful new @batswborders.bsky.social book I bought at #NatBatConf today! Co-created with primary school children in Zambia it’s a wonderful story with an important message to share #LoveBats

A 10 to 15-fold increase in bat activity from changes in management practices in Sitka plantations, achieved by an E3 Ecology project led by Tony Martin, is a fantastic achievement, alongside the benefits for other species. #NatBatConf

Exciting to hear the potential for open-source end to end bat recording -> processing -> species identification -> output reporting from this year’s The Bat Conservation Trust #VincentWeirAward winner Santiago Martinez Balvanera. So much potential! #NatBatConf

Back for the final session of #NatBatConf with the joint @batconservation.bsky.social #VincentWeirAward winner Santiago Martinez Balvanera on use of AI tools for processing passive acoustic monitoring bat calls.

Climate change has serious consequences for our wildlife. Maggie Andrews work into timing of soprano pipistrelle births (supported by #CitizenScience), shows pups are born earlier in warm weather - but non-biting midges are more abundant even earlier in warmer springs! #NatBatConf

There are a number of #BatResearch priorities for #solar farms #NatBatConf and a need for national guidance.

Great to have Maya Griffin speaking at #NatBatConf this morning on work investigating bats & solar farms in Wales. A project between @batconservation.bsky.social & University of West of England, on behalf of Natural Resources Wales. Read the full report cdn.cyfoethnaturiol.cymru/qr3kkbsf/nrw...

Agricultural pests can evolve resistance to pesticides but nature can provide a pest control service & that’s exactly what the 19.4mn wrinkled-lipped free tailed bats can do for the rice farmers of six countries of South East Asia! #NatBatConf 🦇❤️🦇

Some good discussions in the ‘Lets chat bats in sustainable farming’ workshop at #NatBatConf about to seed or not to seed & how much it depends on whats already in the soil seed bank. Would be interesting to see a control version of this study. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

No need to seed: restoring species‐rich grassland on former arable fields by natural regeneration

Seeding of grasslands on ex-arable land may not always be required to achieve restoration targets, especially where soils are free-draining and agrochemical applications were not too intensive prior ...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

The last refugia for wildlife on the planet are increasingly the places too dangerous for humans to occupy.

Chernobyl Exclusion Zone: When humans fled the worst nuclear incident in history, animals moved in. This is what happened next

Brown bears, golden eagles, wolves, lynx and bison are just a few of the species that now live in the partially abandoned city of Chernobyl in Ukraine. Some animals are flourishing, others have been forced to evolve... August 23, 2026 On April 26, 1986, there was an explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, in what was then the Soviet Union. After the accident – the worst nuclear incident in history – hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated from the surrounding area,

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Nice shout out from Tina Wiffen #NatBatConf in her #PeteGuestAward acceptance speech for the value of #BatCare & in particular the importance of successful return of pups to their mums!

Wonderful that the @nationaltrust.org.uk at Seaton Delaval Hall celebrate their bats so much through arts & events, as described by Tina Wiffen in her acceptance talk for the #PeteGuestAward at #NatBatConf

So delighted that Tina Wiffen has got this year's @batconservation.bsky.social #PeteGuestAward for an outstanding voluntary contribution to bat conservation #NatBatConf very well deserved 🎉🦇❤️🦇🎉

Having things to look forward to is always nice but it's even better when it's bat related - 2027 will be the International Year of the Bats #IYbats - what will you be doing to celebrate? #NatBatConf

A sneak peak of the findings from @batconservation.bsky.social Policy Officer, Lil McDermaid on their research into 'Biodiversity, bats and barriers: what's stopping better bat policy' at #NatBatConf but you'll have to wait for their paper to hear the results!

Interesting to hear about #BatSync at #NatBatConf from @tomaugust.bsky.social - use the QR code in the image below to find out more about this way of uploading bat recordings to @inaturalist.bsky.social

I’m looking forward to Maya Griffin’s talk this afternoon at #NatBatConf on bats & solar. Maya was the lead author on the Natural Resources Wales report (no. 1003) by @batconservation.bsky.social & University of West of England naturalresources.wales/evidence-and...

Natural Resources Wales / Publications, evidence and research on freshwater and terrestrial species

Terrestrial and freshwater species reports - Publications, evidence and research on freshwater and terrestrial species

naturalresources.wales

It was fantastic to meet the poet & researcher Briony Hughes at #NatBatConf this morning & chat about her work with @yougov.co.uk on bat attitudes & understanding. Love the positive vibes from people who attend bat walks! 🦇❤️🦇

In her update on the work of @batconservation.bsky.social @kitstoner.bsky.social for #NatBatConf shared the news that the joint BCT & Vincent Wildlife Trust National Barbastelle & Bechstein’s Bat Project will be publishing its report in October!

Day 1 of #NatBatConf is going well so far! Started with a trip through time by @batconservation.bsky.social own Dr Carol Williams with a trip through time - bat technology has certainly come on a lot!

Great news for #Bats on this #WorldEnvironmentDay

Bat Conservation Trust@batconservation.bsky.social · 4mo ago

🦇 Research by BCT and @uwebristolofficial.bsky.social on behalf of @naturalengland.bsky.social has helped achieve a major conservation milestone! For the 1st in the UK, approval for an offshore wind farm includes a requirement to monitor migratory bats: www.bats.org.uk/news/2026/06...

Great to be at #WildSummitUK with @batconservation.bsky.social & #RethinkNature advocating for bats, other species & nature more widely!

The age of enshittenment.

Visualizations with the latest Earth monitoring data: 📈📉 + Global climate indicators: zacklabe.com/climate-chan... + Polar climate indicators: zacklabe.com/arctic-sea-i... + United States climate indicators: zacklabe.com/united-state...

Climate change indicators

All data are referenced at My visualizations: Arctic Climate Seasonality and Variability Arctic Sea Ice Extent and Concentration Arctic Sea Ice Volume and Thickness Arctic Temperatures Antarctic Se…

zacklabe.com

Crying as I type . . . (with laughter)

Well said.