Bat Surveys

With our licensed and experienced surveyors, we provide the full range of the bat surveys that might be required for any sort of development, large or small. Surveys are planned and supervised by staff experienced in impact assessment and obtaining European Protected Species Licences (EPSL) for development so you can be sure that all the information needed for any eventuality will be gathered – avoiding the risk and cost of repeat surveys.

There are a range of different types of bat survey relevant to different developments. You can read more details below about some the most commonly undertaken surveys but why not give us a call and tell us what your plan is and we can explain what survey will be needed for your project.

Preliminary Bat Roost Assessment

Sometimes called a Bat Risk Assessment, this is the first stage of survey for buildings and trees and is often required as the minimum survey by local planning authorities where buildings are being re-developed or extended. It is a day-time visual inspection, sometimes using endoscopes, so can be carried out at any time of year. If the likelihood of bats roosting in the building is negligible, our comprehensive survey and detailed report will demonstrate this and will be all that is required by the local planning authority – meaning that emergence surveys aren’t necessary, saving you money.

Preliminary Bat Roost Assessment

Emergence/Re-entry Surveys

If there is potential for bats to roost in a building (or structure, or tree) evening emergence or dawn re-entry surveys may well be needed. Our experienced surveyors use a range of sophisticated bat detectors, night vision video, and thermal imaging equipment, so both you and the local planning authority can have absolute confidence in our survey results. Every survey team includes a senior member of staff who will be actively assessing the survey results as the survey progresses, considering the implications for your development, and can react immediately to refine the survey method if necessary to ensure all the essential information is collected during that visit.

reentry surveys

Transect and Automatic Detector Surveys

Larger developments may require an assessment of how bats use the whole site by carrying out transect surveys and deploying static detectors. By using full spectrum bat detectors, experienced surveyors, and post-survey computer analysis we make sure that we collect the right information to accurately assess impacts with the minimum number of survey visits. This saves you money on surveys and ensures that the planning authority will be happy with the survey results and impact assessment.

Transect and Automatic Detector Surveys

Hibernation Surveys

Where there is potential that bats might be hibernating, specific surveys to detect hibernating bats will be needed. Because bats are particularly vulnerable during hibernation its important that these surveys are carried out by licensed and very experienced staff – which of course we are.

Hibernation Surveys

Harp Trapping and Mist Netting Surveys

In some rare situations, it might be necessary to catch bats away from their roosts using specialist advanced survey techniques using harp traps, mist nets and acoustic lures. An example might be where an area of woodland will be affected by development and might contain rare species of bats, species of bats that are unlikely to be detected by conventional techniques, or a species of bat that is not easily distinguished from other species on the basis of recorded calls alone.
We have the expertise, licences and equipment to undertake these surveys if they are necessary.

Harp Trapping and Mist Netting Surveys

Bat Carcass Searches

Our scent detection dog, Django, has been specially trained to find bat carcasses. Carcass detection surveys are often required as a condition of planning permission for wind farms and are used to determine impacts of wind turbines on bats. We can help you comply with your planning conditions and assess the impacts of the turbines more efficiently, and more cost-effectively, than searches by human surveyors.

Bat Carcass Searches