Bats for Beginners

Our experienced tutor, Emma Rothwell, will guide you through this fascinating evening learning all about bats, their ecology & behaviours. She will begin the session in the classroom reviewing the 18 native British bats before talking more about those you are likely to see & hear that evening.  She will include information about their life cycle, habitat and feeding patterns before teaching the class how to use bat detectors. You will then be taken on a walk through the woods at dusk when the creatures of the night come alive. Bring a chair, torch, blanket and a flask to spend some time in the woods with a detector enjoying the bat activity of Nower Wood.

Afterwards, we will reconvene in the classroom to discuss your findings over a well-deserved cuppa. The evening will finish with Emma reviewing the best ways that we can all help these wonderful mammals to thrive.

Please note that while we endeavour to maximise the chances of seeing and hearing bats on the night, it is important to be aware that as with all wildlife-based courses, we cannot guarantee it.

Tutor: Emma Rothwell

Emma has a BSc(hons) in Sports Science and is a qualified Primary school teacher who has worked both in the UK and internationally, teaching in Milan, Moscow and Istanbul. On her return to the UK, she completed an FdSc in Animal Behaviour and Welfare at Merrist Wood College, leading her to work as an Education Officer at Kew Gardens before starting as an Education Officer at Surrey Wildlife Trust.  She has worked for SWT for the past eight years and is now the Wilder Schools Team Leader at Nower Wood. 

During the pandemic Emma spent some of her furloughed time working with the SWT Ecology Services Team, doing dusk and dawn bat surveys. After several months of watching and recording bat activity in and around Surrey, she was hooked and has enjoyed learning more about these wonderful flying mammals ever since!  When not out enjoying the wildlife, Emma is an active outdoor swimming enthusiast.