With the support of the Heritage Council, two woodlands in Limerick were included in Bat Conservation Ireland’s Woodland Monitoring Survey for 2025.
The selected sites were the Newcastle West Demesne and Curraghchase Forest Park. These were chosen based on habitat suitability, public access, and the availability of walking routes.
For each site, 4 km walking transects were mapped using GPS. Each transect included five stopping points marked with reflective indicators. Routes covered woodland interiors and edges near agricultural and grassland habitats.
Surveys were carried out in June and July 2025. Each began about 40 minutes after sunset in suitable weather conditions (temperature above 10°C, wind below 20 km/h, and no rain). Volunteers walked at approximately 3.4 km/h, stopping for five minutes at each point to record bat calls using Anabat Scout full-spectrum detectors. Each survey lasted about 1.5 hours. Data were downloaded from SD cards or shared via cloud storage.
Volunteers were recruited through Bat Conservation Ireland’s social media channels and Limerick City and County Council Biodiversity Officer. Training was delivered online via Zoom in May and June 2025. Volunteers received detectors, reflectors, and survey materials.
Data processing was undertaken by Dr. D. Clarke of Bat Conservation Ireland:
- Sonogram analysis was carried out using Kaleidoscope Pro with auto-ID, followed by manual verification.
- Preliminary results:
- Newcastle West: 5 species detected (including whiskered bat and brown long-eared bat).
- Curraghchase: 6 species detected (including lesser horseshoe bat).
- Full analysis and the final report are expected in quarter one of 2026.
This project was showcased during Heritage Week at the Curraghchase Bat Walk, run jointly by Limerick City and County Council and the Vincent Wildlife Trust.
Including the two Limerick sites, a total of 40 woodland sites across the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland were surveyed in 2025.
