February marked the completion of bat hibernation counts across our Kerry reserves!
The lesser horseshoe bat is the only Irish bat that always hangs freely, wrapping its wings around its body while roosting, making them easy to count.
Here are some favourite hanging spots from this year!
#bats
Join Kate McAney for the talk ‘Leather Wings and Bushy Tails’
Learn about the conservation work of VWT Ireland, focusing on the Lesser horseshoe bat, pine marten and Irish stoat.
7:30pm, 18 February 2026
Tara Building, Room T1.17, Mary Immaculate College, Limerick
@irishwildlifetrust.bsky.social
Download this latest report highlighting key potential corridors and barriers affecting #lesserhorseshoebats in Ireland along with practical actions to enhance connectivity for this rare species. www.vincentwildlife.ie/resources
#batconservationireland, @atu-ie.bsky.social, #NativeWoodlandTrust
Seen a squirrel or pine marten?
Make your sightings count by reporting them to the 2026 All-Ireland Squirrel and Pine Marten Survey.
ROI: records.biodiversityireland.ie/start-recording
NI: www2.habitas.org.uk/records
Led by @uniofgalway.bsky.social @ulsterwildlife.bsky.social and VWT
Could 2026 be the year you spot an Irish stoat?
Seen one? Submit your sighting to NBDC: tinyurl.com/muknanua
Thanks to Conservation at Crann for this clip of a stoat venturing out into the New Year. Stoats are active all year, but harder to spot in winter when tucked away in sheltered areas.
We were thrilled to join the 9th ALAN Conference in Co. Mayo! Kate shared research on how artificial lighting affects bats and represented Dark Skies Ireland as a council member.
For more info tinyurl.com/ALAN2025NEWS
Thanks @darkskyireland.bsky.social @mayodarkskies.bsky.social for a fab event!
In partnership with local authorities in West Ireland, we’ve completed our 8th modelling study to identify potential safe corridors for #lesserhorseshoebats to fly between roosts+ feeding areas. Part of the 1st #SpeciesActionPlan in Ireland for the species, we hope it will help safeguard its future.
Save the Date 6-9th October 2026
Announcement!
We're organising the next European Mustelid Colloquium in partnership with @mripas.bsky.social and the Białowieża Ecology Conference
Join the mailing list: eepurl.com/ga-5z9
#36EMC
Glad Conor O’Brien enjoyed his time at one of our lesser horseshoe bat reserves. His description of watching the bats emerge will transport you back to a warm summer’s evening. Read all about it in his new book The Living and the Dead: Tales of Loss and Rebirth from Irish Nature. www.merrionpress.ie
With an increasing number of acoustic records of lesser horseshoe bats on the Isle of Man, VWT’s Ireland Mammal Programme Manager, Kate, joined the Manx Bat Group for site visits and delivered a sold-out talk.
Huge thanks to everyone who came along to learn more about this fascinating species!
#Bat
Brilliant session with our amazing Kerry volunteers! Together we crafted ~30 roosting pots and boards for lesser horseshoe bats.
Terracotta pots + wool wood boards coated in lime mortar = perfect textured nooks for bats to cling to (modern materials are too smooth!)
More info: tinyurl.com/yk82edb7
Six counties, six lesser horseshoe bat events, one fab #HeritageWeek2025 journey where 140 people joined Kate McAney along the way. Most saw + heard #lesserhorseshoebats for the first time! Huge thanks to NPWS, local biodiversity officers, The Heritage Council and all who came out to celebrate bats!
Our sixth and final stop on the lesser horseshoe #bat tour was Glengarriff. Lots of activity from soprano & common pipistrelles, including a territorial male common pip, patrolling the river!
Huge thanks to everyone who joined, NPWS ranger Mary Coleman, and VWT staff from Wales.
#HeritageWeek2025
Stop five of our lesser horseshoe #bat tour took us to Killarney’s Fossa Way. We didn’t just see and hear horseshoe bats, five other species showed up too!
Big thanks to everyone who came along and supported the event, including VWT staff visiting from Wales!
#HeritageWeek2025
Stop 4 of our lesser horseshoe #Bat tour drew a fantastic crowd at Curraghchase!
We had amazing Leisler’s activity before the horseshoes showed up, plus pips & Daubenton’s along the lake edge.
Huge thanks to all who joined and to Limerick Biodiversity Officer for the support!
#HeritageWeek2025
Stop three on our lesser horseshoe #bat tour brought us to the beautiful Dromore Woods. We were treated to wonderful encounters with horseshoe bats, lively soprano pipistrelles, and Daubenton’s skimming the water at dusk. Huge thanks again to NPWS staff and all who joined us!
#HeritageWeek2025
Stop two on our lesser horseshoe #bat tour: the stunning oak woodlands of Garryland. Huge thanks to participants, NPWS staff, horseshoe bats & pips for joining us!
#HeritageWeek2025
A big thank you to all who joined the first of 6 sold-out lesser horseshoe bat walks this #HeritageWeek2025. The horseshoe bats and lots of soprano pipistrelles put on a great display for us just after sunset. Thanks to Brian Hughes, NPWS Conservation Ranger, for his knowledge and support.
What a great turnout at our Lesser Horseshoe #BatConservation Workshop for farm advisors.
Huge thanks to all speakers, especially to farmers Arnold Acheson and Alan Daly, for sharing their inspiring stories.
Funded by DAFM and NPWS
Our walks in counties Mayo, Clare, Limerick and Cork still have a few spaces!
Register here: tinyurl.com/bdeymdy9
@mayodarkskies.bsky.social
This #HeritageWeek2025, we're hitting the road to raise awareness about the lesser horseshoe bat, with free #bat walks in each of the western counties where it’s found.
6 counties, 6 events — one fascinating journey into the world of lesser horseshoe bats!
Register here: tinyurl.com/bdeymdy9
Emergence Counts for 2025 Completed!
This summer, we counted 4,059 Lesser Horseshoe Bats across our 12 Irish summer roosts — our third highest total ever on record!
A huge thank you to the volunteers who came out (and survived the midges!) to help with the counts.
#Volunteering #Bats
Join us on 30 July at the Castletroy Park Hotel, Limerick, for a full-day event focused on landscape-scale conservation for the Lesser Horseshoe Bat.
This workshop is designed for those advising farmers on actions that benefit the lesser horseshoe #bat. Register now: tinyurl.com/5c6sabzj
We’re more than halfway through this year’s #lesserhorseshoebat count across our reserves! Thanks to our amazing #volunteers for making it happen and making a difference. Watch this space for the final numbers!
Many species rely on dark skies to feed, breed and move safely. This year, Ireland hosts the 9th ALAN Conference with global experts on light pollution + dark sky protection. Get early bird tickets now for talks, field trips + networks. www.darksky.ie/alan-2025-conference @darkskyireland.bsky.social
Missed our #BiodiversityWeek2025 Webinar? Don’t worry, you can still catch up!
Find out what we learnt from the Irish #Stoat #CitizenScience Survey and the amazing contributions from people across Ireland.
Watch the recording here: vimeo.com/1088002029
It’s National Volunteering Week!
A huge thank you to our amazing volunteers who monitor 25% of Ireland’s known Lesser Horseshoe Bat population across our 12 reserves!
#NVWIreland @volunteerireland.bsky.social
If you’re in Ennis 23-26 May, don’t miss the art of lesser horseshoe bats. With info from VWT’s Kate McAney, 8 artists have captured this bats world in fab arworks. Well done to Clare Biodiversity Officer, Barry O’Loughlin, for the idea and to Inis Artists for such beautiful art. www.inisartists.com
NEW BLOG for #biodiversityweek2025 + #NVWIreland!
bit.ly/3Ff5Z1I Find out how VWT has been finding ways to monitor the elusive #Irishstoat.
And join us tonight at 7PM to discover what we’ve learned about Irish Stoats from your sightings during the #CitizenScienceSurvey. tinyurl.com/4vpw2wdp
It's #NVWIreland!
THANK YOU to everyone who took part in our Irish Stoat Survey! Your sightings, stories, photos and videos helped us map and raise awareness of this iconic species.
Want to learn more? Join our FREE webinar:
22 May 19:00
tinyurl.com/4vpw2wdp
@volunteerireland.bsky.social
