Two fascinating talks preceded by our brief AGM

Our first talk by

Felicity Li

Listening for change: how survey methods shape what we know about Kent's bats
How we survey bats shapes what we find—volunteers have recorded Kent's bats for over 40 years, but methods changed from roost visits to acoustic detectors. Drawing on more than 18,000 surveys since 1980, we show that a shift in bat survey methods distorts apparent trends for half the species examined, and offer a way to identify which species' records can support conservation decisions.

Followed by

Becky Fu
A new catalogue of calls for one of the world's rarest mammals—the Seychelles sheath-tailed bat
The Critically Endangered Seychelles sheath-tailed bat (STB) numbers perhaps 50–100 mature individuals. Active acoustic monitoring across 2023–2025 at La Passe, Silhouette, characterised its foraging and social repertoire: alternating echolocation pulses, feeding buzzes, and six social calls, with three social calls newly discovered and described here for the first time. This now expanded library of STB calls supports continued conservation efforts that will aid roost detection and field monitoring.

Both Felicity and Becky are students on the MRes in Biodiversity, Evolution & Conservation programme at University College London, and will be sharing their novel research with a public audience for the first time at the KBG AGM.

Non members welcome. We request a small donation to running costs, £3 per person suggested and can be donated at the event.