Anne Youngman was the Bat Conservation Trust's (BCT) first Scottish Bat Officer from 2003 to 2017, & is very well known & respected within the bat community, not only in the UK, but also much further afield. This is her 4th time on Talking Bat, & on this occasion we look back on her most recent challenge (a 100km ultra-marathon). A quick reminder as to why she was doing it. It's all for charity \o/ in order to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support & HospiceCare North Northumberland, two amazing organisations which helped her & her family at a time when they didn't know where to turn.

Take a listen & find out how she got on, as well as what's next for the 'Creaky Old Bat'. Just Giving Page Anne’s 100k ultra marathon for Macmillan Cancer Support & HospiceCare North Northumberland

Delighted to be Talking Bat with Kelly Sheldrick (Citizen Science Program Manager - Conservation Council of Western Australia) ahead of her fundraising Christmas Island Marathon in honour of the 100 species that have gone extinct in Australia, including the Christmas Island Pipistrelle. All in all, this will help to raise awareness of biodiversity loss & the failure of policy to respond to a rapidly changing environment.

A Bat's End: The Christmas Island Pipistrelle and Extinction in Australia by John Woinarski

Remembering the Christmas Island Pipistrelle Wildlife Fundraiser - donate here

During this interview we talk with Mark Avery whose previous roles include 13 years as Conservation Director at RSPB, as well as a former chair of World Land Trust. Described these days as a blogger, writer, author & wildlife campaigner, Mark has been involved with many important discussions at the highest level relating to the conservation challenges faced in our part of the world, including books on the subject, as well as the activities of Wild Justice, an organisation he co-founded. Inglorious: Conflict in the Uplands

Mark Avery books published by Pelagic Publishing

Reflections - What Wildlife Needs and How to Provide it

James Shipman is a BCT Pete Guest Award winner (2016) & highly respected within the bat community for his contributions towards bat conservation & training. Here we are delighted to be chatting with him about his career progression to date, as well as the forthcoming book (due out early 2025) entitled: Identifying Bats of Britain and Ireland - A Field Worker’s Guide Gib-bats (The Gibraltar Bats Project)

Born in Ireland & based in Sweden Alan Dalton (@Blogbirder) is a life long birder who is highly respected for his artwork & acoustic recordings of birdlife. He has his own podcast show entitled 'Wild Bird Acoustics' which takes listeners through various sound inspired journeys, as well as opportunities to learn more about bird sound & behaviour.

Alan Dalton - Blogbirder.blogspot.com

Cape Clear Island Bird Observatory

Every month Aileen Hendry (BatAbility Courses & Tuition) is joined by Neil Middleton to deliver a 'light-hearted' monthly update for our BatAbility Club members. We are sharing it here for the benefit of anyone who wishes to find out more about what we are up to.

If you are not a Club member, but would like to know more about how to join up, please go to the following link: batability.co.uk/batability-club/

Anne Youngman was the Bat Conservation Trust's (BCT) first Scottish Bat Officer from 2003 to 2017, & is very well known & respected within the bat community, not only in the UK, but also much further afield. This is her third time on Talking Bat, & on this occasion we focus on her next challenge, this time to run a 100 km ultra-marathon on 20.07.24, a challenge that could take almost 19 hours to complete. Why? It's all for charity \o/ in order to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support & HospiceCare North Northumberland, two amazing organisations which helped her & her family at a time when they didn't know where to turn. Run Anne Run - Give Folks Give! Just Giving Page Anne’s 100k ultra marathon for Macmillan Cancer Support & HospiceCare North Northumberland

Steve Roe (Vice Chair of BCT & Pete Guest Award winner 2023) is the producer & presenter of BCT's award winning BatChat podcast. He gets many opportunities to interview people about bat work in the UK. This time we get the opportunity to turn the mic & interview him \o/. Find out lots about his back story (he started his 'bat life' early!) & achievements to date, as well as some thoughts on the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ professionals within the ecology sector.

Bat Conservation Trust (BCT)

CIEEM Article - Supporting LGBTQ+ Professionals