Bat Rehabilitation in Hampshire

If you find an injured or orphaned bat in Hampshire, please contact Hampshire Bat Group carers on 07760 504257. If there is no answer, please leave a voicemail or a text message, giving us your name, area and phone number. For less urgent situations, please contact our bat carers by email at batcarehantsbats(at)gmail.com.

The Bat Conservation Trust Helpline on 0345 1300 228 is also available. BCT will put you in touch with your nearest bat rehabilitator. From October-April (non-peak season): Monday-Friday, 9am-5.30pm. From May-September the Out of Hours Helpline is also available in the evenings and weekends. Please note that the out of hours helpline is run by volunteers and is for emergency calls only.

Hampshire Bat Group trustees and members include a number of BCT registered bat ambulance drivers, carers and rehabilitators, who undertake a huge amount of work every year. In an average year we estimate 150 bats are picked up and cared for. These have included common, soprano and Nathusius' pipistrelles, brown long-eared bats, Daubenton's, Whiskered, Brandt's, serotine and noctule bats. We have even cared for very rare species including grey long-eared and alcathoe bats.

Spreading the word

One of the very important things we do is to raise awareness of bats throughout the county, by getting ‘out and about’ - i.e. taking information about bats and their conservation to the general public and helping to dispel any myths that might still remain! We do this in a variety of ways.

Firstly, we attend shows and festivals in the spring and summer months, with our Bat Stand. In a typical year these number twenty or so, including the three day New Forest Show, the Romsey Show and the Gilbert White Museum's Nature Day.  These events are staffed by a dedicated core of volunteers, with other members helping on rotation and everyone finds it to be a rewarding experience.  Help is always needed so please contact our committee if you would like to assist with shows – you don’t need to be an expert!

Secondly, some members give talks, including to other wildlife groups, to community organisations and to schoolchildren.  It’s not unusual for groups totalling 150-300 to be educated in one day!  Some members also give talks at more specialised conferences such as the South East Bat Conference and the HBIC Forum.

Thirdly, we lead bat walks, sometimes preceded by a talk. We either organise these ourselves or are invited to lead them by other organisations such as the Forestry Commission, in which case they will be open to the general public.  In a typical year there might be two or three a month during the spring and summer, with the majority open to both members and non members. This is a good way to get an introduction to ‘batting’ if you are new to the Group.

All our activities are generally listed on the website and in our newsletter, 'Bat Droppings'.

Presentations that we have given during 2024 include:

'Bats, Superheroes of the Night' for the Ringwood Natural History Society, the Bishops Waltham Wilder group of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, Selsey Gardening Club, Upham Climate Group, for the Design Chapel at Southampton, for the Cumberland House Museum in Southsea and for the Romsey Organic Gardeners.

Bat presentations to various schools (including Wellow and Awbridge Primary Schools) and youth groups (including Brownies, Beavers and Cubs)

Bat presentation for the Leckford Estate Open Day

Bat presentation to the Hampshire Conservation Volunteers

"Bats in the Historic Environment" for the Managing Wildlife in the Historic Environment course at West Dean College.

Bat echolocation spectrogram analysis workshops for the Chichester Wildlife Corridors volunteers.

Bat conservation training for staff of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust.

Public events to which we have taken our display during 2024 include:

23rd March - Lepe Country Park

6th April - Hampshire Ornithological Society Open Day, Winchester

27th April - Wilder Lymington event

11th May - Sholing Valleys Spring Fair, Southampton

12th May - Nature Festival at the Gilbert White Museum at Selborne

18th May - Eco Fair at the Wicor Primary School at Portchester

9th June - Cove Brook Fun Day

7th July - Natural Basingstoke Bioblitz

14th July - Petersfield Eco Fair

21st July - Hawk Conservancy Big Wild Weekend

30th, 31st July and 1st August - New Forest and County Show

11th August - Mottisfont Village Fete

14th September - Romsey Show

13th October - Blackmoor Apple Tasting Day

27th October - Bursledon Brickworks Halloween Steam Up

Bat walks which we have led during 2024 include:

8th May - for the Alton Walking Festival

11th May - for the Bishops Sutton Bioblitz

16th June - for the Winchester Downs Farm Cluster

26th June - at Billy's Lake at Waterlooville

27th June - at Upham

20th July - at the Itchen Valley Country Park

6th August - at Staunton Country Park at Havant

28th August - for the Hampshire Ornithological Society young members at Bishopstoke

6th September - for the Friends of Oaklands Park at Chichester

10th September - at Denmead

12th September at Alresford

16th September at for Green Owslebury

17th September - for the RSPB at Church Norton

18th September - for the Romsey Society

19th September - Wilder Bishops Waltham

21st September - Portsmouth and Southsea Watch Group