Welcome to the events page
Northumberland Bat Group AGM
Our AGM will be held on Monday 27th April at 7pm, It will be a good chance to come and meet the team. We have sone new and enthusiastic committee members so this would be a great time to come and meet us all and to find out what is proposed for the rest of the year. Hopefully going forward in to 2026 as a group there will be more walks, talks, surveys and other events. Our committee are even sorting out some merchandise so we can advertise more widely who Northumberland Bat Group are.
The AGM is designed to be fun, and engaging, rather than long an boring, so do come along. If we have time we may even go for a bat walk along the river afterwards.
The location as always will be Tyne Riverside Country Park Cafe, Prudhoe, NE42 6NP. Or here for Google maps. No need to register, just come along and meet us.
Spring Smmer activities 2026
Friday 17th April, Bat Walk, Exhibition Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
Meet at 20:00 at the entrance to Exhibition park at Claremont Road and Park Terrace, grid reference NZ246653, what three words ///adults.mint.coherent.
There will be a short introduction to bats and how to use bat detectors and then we will walk into Exhibition Park to the lake to watch bats flying and foraging. We will also provide some bat detectors to borrow to listen to the bat echolocation calls.
This is an easy access walk, and will be on surfaced tracks. Wear sensible shoes, wrap up warm and bring a torch. No need to book, just come along.
Saturday 18th April, Bat Care Training / Refresher Session, Gibside, Rowlands Gill
We have a bat care training / refresher session planned for Saturday 18th April. This is open to anyone who wants to come along, not just carers, so please do share this widely. We will go through the bat care basics and then can answer any questions you might have. This will be in the stables at Gibside, the National Trust estate at Rowlands Gill. The session will be from 10:30 until c13:00, but it is a good 20 minute walk to get to the stables.
Please can you let Tina know on malinka1999@btinternet.com if you are coming so she can leave your names at the entrance, you don’t need to pay to get into Gibside for the bat care day.
Saturday 25th April, Gosforth Nature Reserve Bat Box Checks (Spring)
We will be checking the bat boxes at Gosforth Nature Reserve twice this Spring (25th April and 23rd May).
Spaces are limited and will be offered on a first come, first served basis. We’ll make sure this is handled fairly so that as many people as possible have the chance to attend. There will also be more dates released later in the year for the Autumn checks.
Please contact Siobhan directly on siobhan-17-@hotmail.co.uk if you’d like to attend.
Saturday 23rd May, Gosforth Nature Reserve Bat Box Checks (Spring)
We will be checking the bat boxes at Gosforth Nature Reserve for the second time.
Spaces are limited and will be offered on a first come, first served basis. We’ll make sure this is handled fairly so that as many people as possible have the chance to attend. There will also be more dates released later in the year for the Autumn checks.
Please contact Siobhan directly on siobhan-17-@hotmail.co.uk if you’d like to attend.
Winter Hibernation Adit Surveys - New dates to be added 2026/27
Tina plans the National Bat Monitoring Programme (NBMP) hibernation surveys of the adits at Nenthead (just over the border in Cumbria) – but these happen in the winter. Keep an eye out next year for new dates.
Tina has been leading surveys of the same sites since 2014 and so is really starting to build up a picture of how the bats are using the sites.
For the surveys, you will need wellies, old warm clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty, torches with lots of spare batteries and maybe also a change of boots/socks, the adits are all wet. Bring lunch, snacks and a flask, it will be cold!
If you have a caving helmet/hard hat that you are able to bring along that would be great, I have a few to lend out if not.
If you are interested in/able to come along please email me on malinka1999@btinternet.com. As ever, places are on a first come first served basis.
The surveys will require entering known hibernacula, so to comply with IUCN and BCT guidelines :
All surveyors should have had a lateral flow test with a negative result within 48 hours before the survey (this is also essential for mitigating risks to bats). If a member of the survey team has COVID-type symptoms then they should not participate until they have had a PCR test with a negative result.
FFP2 unvented masks or better are a requirement when within hibernacula.
Tina has masks if you need one.
One last thing, for insurance purposes you need to be a member of Northumberland Bat Group to join these surveys, no worries if you are not, it is easy and free to join. Just click on this link and subscribe to our mailing list – it’s that easy to join.
Gibside Bat Surveys - New dates to be added for 2026
Come and join Northumberland Bat Group at this amazing National Trust managed location. The grounds and buildings are a haven for bats. No experience required, but a bonus if you have surveyed before. Tina, Tim or another experienced bat surveyor will be on hand to explain what you have to do and where you have to stand for each survey.
The National Trust at Gibside will supply bat detectors to use for these surveys, but if you have your own torch please bring it along. Remember to wear warm clothes and insect repellent. Surveys start about 30 minutes before sunset and will continue for 1 – 2 hours after sun set. Exact timings will depend on the time of year, survey type and weather.
Meeting times are in the information below, and the surveys carry on until it gets dark, which can be late at the end of May and in June. The meeting location is: Gisbide, in the main car park, at NZ169581, entrance at ///groom.invest.pizza
There is no need to let Tina know that you are coming along as the surveys will take place regardless of the number of people that turn up. Also worth noting, if it is pouring with rain, then that night’s survey will be cancelled.
NBMP Waterway survey – Final surveys
Bat Walks - New dates to be added for 2026
What is a bat walk?
Bat walks are open to anyone that wishes to attend. Some of the walks are suitable for all types of mobility, others may be rough underfoot so less suitable for wheels etc, so please ask if you have an accessibility question.
Walks start at sun set, just to give us time to meet up at the given location. The walk leader will then hand out some bat detectors and explain how to use them, and which noises relate to which bat calls (or jangling keys, or squeaky wheel bearings!).
The walks are generally around 3 – 5km long no more and last 1 – 1.5 hours. You will need to bring warm clothes and sturdy foot wear. Also if you have it, bring a torch too.
Walks are weather dependent, so if a walk is cancelled due to heavy rain, a note will be posted on here, and on the group Facebook site. Also unlike during the covid years, no booking is required, just turn up! The walk leader will be wearing bat dee-lee-boppers, and easy to recognise (usually).
Bat Evidence Surveys - Hopefully these surveys will continue in 2026
Northumberland Bat Group are leading four bat surveys of churches as part of the Bat Conservation Trust’s Bat Evidence in Churches surveys.
These are dusk surveys to see if we can see any bats emerging from the churches, and identify any bats present. We will meet in daylight but the surveys will continue until its dark, so wear sturdy foot wear and warm clothes. We will have some bat detectors to use but please bring a torch if you have one. No need to sign up, just turn up if you want to take part.