Course Suitability
This course is suitable for beginners and anyone with an interest in bats and wildlife conservation. No prior field experience is required. It is ideal for volunteers, students, early-career ecologists, or members of the public who would like to learn how to record and identify bats in Ireland.
Prerequisite: Participants must have completed our free online course, Course 1: Introduction to Bats and Using Detectors, in advance of attending. This introductory course provides an excellent overview of Irish bats and the fundamentals of bat detection, giving you the essential baseline knowledge needed to fully understand and engage with the in-person training. Your certificate of completion for the Intro to Bats course must be uploaded via the Assignments section on this Novice Bat Recorder course page prior to the course start date. Failure to complete and upload this prerequisite may result in being unable to attend the in-person training.
Please note: This course is not suitable for young children. Participants under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Course Details and Price
Novice Bat Recorder (In-person classroom & fieldwork)
This course takes place over two non-consecutive evenings, one week apart, across two different fieldwork locations.
Option 1:
6:30pm – 11:00pm, 23 July 2026
Netterville Institute, Brú na Bóinne National Park, Dowth, Co. Meath
Followed by
9pm – 10:30pm, 30 July 2026
Boyne Canal, Slane Bridge, Slane, Co. Meath
Option 2:
To be confirmed – additional courses will be offered in Mayo and Kildare in August 2026.
Price:
€40 per person (non-members)
€35 per person (BCIreland members)
Course Content
This blended course combines online learning, classroom sessions, and practical field experience, covering:
- Introduction to Irish bat species (online)
- Using bat detectors for beginners (online)
- Health, safety, and biosecurity (in-person classroom)
- Becoming a bat recorder (in-person classroom)
- Revision of the “Using Your Ears” topic (in-person classroom)
- Daytime site assessment, including identifying potential bat habitats and roost features (in-person fieldwork)
- Two evening field sessions (one week apart), using tuneable bat detectors to identify Irish bat species in real time (in-person fieldwork)
Register to attend this course
BCIreland Members please note: Our training platform is separate from the Bat Conservation Ireland membership website.
You’ll just need to create a quick account here to book and access your course—this only takes a minute.
To book your place register on our learning platform:
- Click the “Log In To Enroll” button above
- Click “Take This Course”
- Open the Course Content section
- Click “More Info, Booking Link and Terms & Conditions”
- Use the booking link to pay and reserve your place
For group or invoice bookings, please email [email protected].
