The Study Area of Islandmagee Bat Atlas

The Islandmagee Bat Atlas is an exciting new initiative to map the bats in Islandmagee.  We are looking at bat activity and presence of bat roosts across the east Antrim Peninsula.

Would you like to be involved in the Islandmagee Bat Atlas Project?

Over the Summer, we are recording bats across the peninsula. Finding out where our bats:

•  Live;
• Eat; and,
• Commute.

As creatures that fly at night, we often don’t know where bats are flying and where they live. The bat group doesn’t hold any records for Islandmagee and yet we know there are bats there.  There are many ways in which you can join in.

If you live in Islandmagee and think you have bats living in your home or around your house you can let us know and we will come and survey your house at a time that suits you.  If you prefer, we can lend you the equipment to survey your own house.  We’ll even teach you how to use the equipment so that the bats can be recorded, verified and included in the project database.

Example data (May 2015)

We are organising information and training events over the summer and social walks to record bat activity in areas across Islandmagee.  The results will be recorded in our bespoke Geographical Information System (GIS).  Don’t worry, for publication purposes, we will be only be showing the data at a resolution of 1km, so no one’s house /roosts will be identified from the maps that the Islandmagee Bat Atlas Project generates. An example of the data we have already collected is shown to the right.

If you want to get involved then the Islandmagee Bat Atlas Project wants to hear from you. This summer we are carrying out a survey to see which species of bats are found in Islandmagee and where their favourite hangouts are. Please get in touch through our Islandmagee Bat Atlas Facebook Page if you have bats at your house, if you know of any roosts or you would just like to get involved.