Relative Performance and Practicality of Night Vision Aids and Naked Eye Counts for Emerging Bats

Mitchell, Laura; Findlay, Melanie; Ingledew, Roger; White, Pat

Abstract

The Bat Conservation Trust’s Good Practice Guidelines now require the use of night vision aids for bat emergence surveys. In light of this, we compared the efficacy and efficiency of three bat emergence roost count methods: naked eye counts, infrared recording playback counts and thermal recording playback counts. Emergence surveys were performed at four soprano pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pygmaeus) maternity colonies across Scotland during the breeding season. The use of either night vision aid (thermal or infrared) significantly improved the rate of bat detection relative to the naked eye. However, when it was darkest (60–90 minutes after sunset), thermal outperformed infrared.

Citation

Mitchell, L., Findlay, M., Ingledew, R., & White, P. (2025). Relative Performance and Practicality of Night Vision Aids and Naked Eye Counts for Emerging Bats. In Practice (CIEEM), 127, 41-46

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 10, 2025
• Online Publication Date: Mar 1, 2025
• Publication Date: 2025
• Deposit Date: Mar 6, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 7, 2025
• Journal: In Practice
• Print ISSN: 1754-4883
• Publisher: Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 127
• Pages: 41-46
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/4168243