As dusk falls on Friday 10th May, volunteers will join Somerset Bat Group, The Wild Bunch and Frome Town Council for the first Big Community Bat Count of 2024 – will you be among them? The two annual bat counts help to monitor and record the local bat population, providing data for conservation efforts. At last May’s count, 38 volunteers worked in seven teams and spotted a total of 102 bats, from nine different species. The data collected forms part of Frome’s Wildlife Mapping project, using the iNaturalist app, part of a global network of data collection for monitoring biodiversity and informing preservation efforts. The event is being organised by Frome Town Council and The Wild Bunch, with the support of Somerset Bat Group.
Jo Morris, Frome Town Council’s Resilience Officer, said: “This is a really exciting project and we’re keen for lots of residents to get involved. People of all ages are welcome and you don’t need prior experience: training will be provided on the day and the equipment is easy and fun to use. We’ll be returning to places where we’ve counted bats in previous years, plus a new location or two, thanks to sightings reported to us. Thank you to Somerset Bat Group for kindly lending us the equipment once again.”
Cllr Ben Still added: “The findings will help us monitor the population of different bats in town, help us provide more habitats in appropriate places, and will contribute to Frome Community Wildlife Mapping Project on iNaturalist. The data gathered will help us produce a baseline for monitoring biodiversity across town to inform Frome Town Council’s response to the ecological emergency.”
The bat count will last around one hour, with a briefing beforehand, so the event will last no longer than two hours in total. The briefing will start at 8pm on Friday 10th May, with the count due to start around 9pm.
The bat count is supported by the Somerset Bat Group and Somerset Wildlife Trust. Register your interest in taking part by signing up for a free place at https://bit.ly/frome-bat-count-may24.
