Bats hunt for insects at night, using a high frequency system called echolocation. Bat calls are usually pitched at too high a frequency for humans to hear naturally – but they can be heard or recorded using a bat detector. Individual bat species emit calls with specific characteristics related to their their size, flight behaviour, environment and prey types. This means that with the aid of bat detectors we can identify many species by listening to their calls or recording them for sound analysis on a computer.
Faversham Town Council now has 12 Magenta Bat 5 Bat Detectors for loan to groups and individuals. The detector converts high frequency ultrasound to lower sounds, which can be heard via the built in loud speaker. There are a number of different species of Bats in Kent and details can be found here. You can also upload your own recordings of bats on the Kent Bat Group website
To make enquiries to borrow the detectors please email Louise Bareham with the quantity and three proposed dates.
Bat detecting is best undertaken between April and September at sunset. Here’s some information to get you started:
