@vwtireland.bsky.social
Celebrate Heritage Week 2026 with VWT Ireland! Join our lecture to discover Ireland’s nine bat species and how we can support them today. 7–8pm, Great National South Court Hotel. Book: tinyurl.com/4uuezz8x. Please note: the bat walk is fully booked; ticket holders only.
Step into the fascinating world of Ireland’s remarkable mammals at Leather Wings and Bushy Tails. Join Kate McAney for a free talk exploring the lesser horseshoe bat, Irish stoat and pine marten. Thoor Ballylee, Gort Wednesday 12 August, 7pm Booking essential: aine@greenguide.ie
Join VWT Ireland on Saturday 25 July at @fotawildlife.bsky.social Native Species Festival in County Cork this weekend. Come and say hello and find out how we work to conserve some of our native mammal species, including lesser horseshoe bats.
Our 2026 lesser horseshoe bat counts are complete! With huge thanks to our amazing volunteers, we counted 3,861 lesser horseshoe bats and found 4 pipistrelle roosts at our reserves VWT's work is made possible by @irishenvnet.bsky.social and @heritagecouncil.ie Videos taken using infrared cameras.
Missed the webinar? Watch back ‘Tales of Three Woodland Species’ to learn about red squirrels, grey squirrels and pine martens in Ireland. vimeo.com/1201403455 Seen a squirrel or pine marten? Report it! ROI: lnkd.in/ea5_GbpG NI: lnkd.in/eVR2xHEb @ulsterwildlife.bsky.social @uniofgalway.bsky.social
Don’t miss the deadline — 5pm Friday 3 July! Can you make a difference for wildlife in Ireland! Apply here www.vincentwildlife.ie/vacancies Please share.
A huge thank you to Clodagh and Eli, who have finished their internship with VWT Ireland! In their final week, they helped retrieve monitoring equipment, sort data, and support our Lesser Horseshoe Bat summer emergence counts. Thanks for all your hard work, and best of luck in the future!
Could you be VWT Ireland's next Mammal Programme Manager and continue the fantastic work for threatened mammals? You will have experience of successful conservation delivery, fieldwork and proven experience of leading successful projects and programmes. More info www.vincentwildlife.ie/vacancies
During our internship with VWT, we set up Mostela camera traps at a reserve and caught lots of mouse activity, a curious sika deer, and even a pine marten exploring two traps. We know it’s the same individual thanks to its unique bib pattern—like a fingerprint for pine martens.
Looking forward to Kerry’s Wildlife and Biodiversity Conference with @mtu.ie Kerry Wildlife Biology Programme and @kerrycoco.ie (22-23 May 2026). We’ll be speaking about our work monitoring lesser horseshoe bats and joining the panel on terrestrial biodiversity. Free tickets here bit.ly/4dxjZkl
Become a citizen scientist and help map red and grey squirrels and pine martens across Ireland. Submit your sighting to the All-Ireland Squirrel and Pine Marten Survey: ROI: tinyurl.com/276jjna2 NI: tinyurl.com/2s4c2cc6 #NVWIreland Led by @uniofgalway.bsky.social @ulsterwildlife.bsky.social VWT
Happy #VolunteerWeek Ireland! Next week, our amazing volunteers will be out monitoring lesser horseshoe bats at our reserves. The data collected helps guide future conservation efforts for this species. A huge thank you to all our volunteers for your continued support! #NVWIreland
A busy but brilliant week interning with VWT! Alongside mammal surveys, we spent the weekend at the Native Species Festival in Dublin Zoo, chatting with people of all ages about native species conservation. Kids especially loved ‘Pin the Tail on the Irish Stoat’! Thanks to Dublin Zoo for hosting!
FREE #BiodiversityWeek2026 webinar! Tales of Three Woodland Species — The All-Ireland Squirrel and Pine Marten Survey • 20 May 2026 • 7–8 pm • Book now! tinyurl.com/fywcs7s7 Led by @uniofgalway.bsky.social, @ulsterwildlife.bsky.social and VWT
We’ve had another great week of learning and getting stuck into fieldwork as VWT interns. We counted 532 lesser horseshoe bats leaving a roost, detected at least three other bat species using another roost and set up Mostela camera traps and SM4 detectors to monitor other #mammals and #bats. @mtu.ie
VWT was delighted to join the first Galway County Council Biodiversity conference, Wings. Organised by #Biodiversity Officer Rosina Joyce, it featured talks on birds, butterflies, bees and #bats. VWT engagement work is made possible by support from @irishenvnet.bsky.social & @heritagecouncil.ie
We’re delighted to be part of Dublin Zoo’s Native Species Festival (9-11May) — do visit our stand and find out more about VWT’s work. More info tinyurl.com/trp9tcvz This engagement work is made possible thanks to core funding from @irishenvnet.bsky.social and @heritagecouncil.ie
VWT’s Bat Team led a workshop at the recent Southwest Bat Conference to highlight its work to ensure horseshoe bat habitats are more resilient. Enhancing existing roosts and creating new purpose-built roosts are key strategies to help the species recover from declines. @batconservation.bsky.social
We’re delighted to welcome student placements Clodagh + Eli from @mtu.ie! Third-year Wildlife Biology students, they’ve hit the ground running, exploring our lesser horseshoe bat reserves and getting to grips with our equipment. Watch out for updates on their journey!
Thrilled to be presenting 'Bats About Galway' at the sold-out Wings Conference on April 29th—see you if you grabbed a ticket!
Kate McAney will be joining the Lough Carra Catchment Association for a talk on ‘The Secret Life of the Lesser Horseshoe Bats — why they matter to Lough Carra and the Catchment' 8pm, 31 March 2026 Partry Community Centre, County Mayo, F12 KF86 All are welcome
We are delighted to be presenting our latest research on the lesser horseshoe bat at the 11th Irish Bat Conference (21–22 March 2026). We will also feature work from Inis Artists, The Lesser Horseshoe Bat—a creative exploration of the species’ life and environment through the artists’ perspectives.
New blog! Have you ever wondered how we choose the right tree for a pine marten den box? It’s trickier than you’d think! VWT’s Carnivore Conservation Officer discusses what to look for when picking the perfect tree. Full blog here bit.ly/4048b2H #MartensOnTheMove #NationalLotteryHeritageFund
Want to share your work on mustelids? We're hosting the 36th European Mustelid Colloquium in collaboration with @mripas.bsky.social and Białowieża Ecology Conference. Register and find out more: www.vwt.org.uk/36th-europea...
February marked the completion of bat hibernation counts across our Kerry reserves! The lesser horseshoe bat is the only Irish bat that always hangs freely, wrapping its wings around its body while roosting, making them easy to count. Here are some favourite hanging spots from this year! #bats
Join Kate McAney for the talk ‘Leather Wings and Bushy Tails’ Learn about the conservation work of VWT Ireland, focusing on the Lesser horseshoe bat, pine marten and Irish stoat. 7:30pm, 18 February 2026 Tara Building, Room T1.17, Mary Immaculate College, Limerick @irishwildlifetrust.bsky.social
Download this latest report highlighting key potential corridors and barriers affecting #lesserhorseshoebats in Ireland along with practical actions to enhance connectivity for this rare species. www.vincentwildlife.ie/resources #batconservationireland, @atu-ie.bsky.social, #NativeWoodlandTrust
Seen a squirrel or pine marten? Make your sightings count by reporting them to the 2026 All-Ireland Squirrel and Pine Marten Survey. ROI: records.biodiversityireland.ie/start-recording NI: www2.habitas.org.uk/records Led by @uniofgalway.bsky.social @ulsterwildlife.bsky.social and VWT
Could 2026 be the year you spot an Irish stoat? Seen one? Submit your sighting to NBDC: tinyurl.com/muknanua Thanks to Conservation at Crann for this clip of a stoat venturing out into the New Year. Stoats are active all year, but harder to spot in winter when tucked away in sheltered areas.
