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 6 is back from October 31st with episodes released every other Wednesday. 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
62 episodes
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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28:31
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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43:20
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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40:22
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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24:59
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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29:10
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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32:14
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
It's time for Series 5!
BatChat Series 5 is set to kick off on Wednesday November 1st, with an exciting lineup of guests and fascinating interviews. Stay tuned for more great content and enriching conversations.
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2:04
A new exhibition of wildlife sound at the British Library
S4E45 - Bonus! This summer, in a major new exhibition, you can see how documenting the animal world has resulted in some of humankind’s most awe-inspiring art, science and sound recordings: Anim...
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Season 4
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Episode 45
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27:56
Wild Isles
S4E44 - Bonus! The landmark nature documentary series Wild Isles, presented by Sir David Attenborough is currently transmitting on Sunday's at 7pm on BBC One. The fourth episode "Freshwater" features a fabulous bat sequence, recorded in Yorkshi...
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Season 4
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Episode 44
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37:34
The History of Bat Conservation with Dr Bob Stebbings
S4E43 As series four comes to a close, Steve sits down with a titan of bat conservation. Dr Robert (Bob) Stebbings is one of the original bat workers in the UK and in this episode we hear about some of the major bat conservation work undertaken...
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Season 4
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Episode 43
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45:43
Winged passions: The bat basement of Cliveden House
S4E42 This week Steve joins Chris Damant in the grounds of Cliveden House on the banks of the River Thames. As fine dining takes place in the hotel above them, Chris and his team have set up traps to catch bats as they arrive to mate in the mid...
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Season 4
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Episode 42
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21:35
Tony Hutson & the greater mouse-eared bat
S4E41 Tony Hutson has been shouting about bats since the 1960's and has changed the bat conservation landscape in that time. He was a founding member of the bat groups of Britain, the precursor to the Bat Conservation Trust. His survey work on ...
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Season 4
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Episode 41
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36:13
How the Western Link could affect the Western barbastelle
S4E40 In this interview recorded right at the end of August 2022, Steve is sat in a Norfolk woodland with Dr Charlotte Packman. We learn what potential impacts a new road in the area might have on the local bat populations and as Lotty explains...
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Season 4
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Episode 40
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37:26
The bat man of Mexico
S4E39 Rodrigo Medellín is Mexico's very own 'Bat Man'. Since he first kept vampire bats in his bathroom as a child, Rodrigo has dedicated his life to saving them. On the evening of the 2022 UK National Bat Conference, Steve sits down with Rodri...
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Season 4
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Episode 39
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27:06
Bat flies with Dr Erica McAlister
S4E38 We return to London's Natural History Museum. This time however, we're in the bowels of the Diptera collection with flygirl herself, Dr...
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Season 4
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Episode 38
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34:38
Haddon Hall
S4E37 Haddon Hall, the private residence of Lord and Lady Edward Manners, is set in the Peak District in the valley of the River Wye. With nine hundred years of history, it is one of the oldest houses in the country and moreover one of th...
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Season 4
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Episode 37
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23:10
The find of the century
S4E36 You join us in a secret location this week. Back in 2019, Scotty Dodd from the Sussex Bat Group made the most significant discovery in the history of the bat group...the first maternity roost of greater horseshoe bats in Sussex for one hu...
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Season 4
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Episode 36
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34:07
Bat roost visit service
S4E35 We're back with a brand new series! This week Steve joins a volunteer roost visitor, Chris Smith from Staffordshire Bat Group, on a roost visit requested by the Bat Conservation Trust. Chris discusses the value of the free service, how he...
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Season 4
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Episode 35
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34:50