The Herefordshire Citizen Bat Project is a community-led citizen science initiative focused on monitoring and recording bat populations across the county of Herefordshire.

Run by the Herefordshire Mammal Group, the project engages volunteers in local community groups to help bridge the gap in scientific data by collecting records of local bat species.  

• Volunteer Involvement: Residents can register their interest to assist with surveys, which often require only a basic grasp of wildlife.  The project also aims to provide community groups an opportunity to partake in bat walks to learn more about those species that live in our county.

• Data Collection: Records gathered by volunteers will be forwarded to the Herefordshire Biological Records Centre (HBRC) and contribute to broader conservation efforts, such as the Herefordshire Bat Atlas, which tracks the distribution and habits of the 16 bat species recorded in the county.

• Equipment: Some equipment is available and can be borrowed for use on the project.  This includes static ultrasound recorders or phone connectable devices that interpret the recorded sounds of bats in the field and identify them in real time