Bat Handling and Trapping

This is a non-residential course. Accommodation is available locally, including rooms at the Lakeshore Hotel and nearby Airbnb options.

Please note: places on this course are strictly limited and early booking is strongly advised.

Course fee includes:

• Light lunch on arrival
• Tea/Coffee breaks
• Dinner at a local venue on both days
• An Identification Guide to Irelands Bats
• Handling gloves and face masks
• Fieldwork equipment
• Log book to record animals handled (also suitable for documenting additional handling practice)
• Certificate of Completion

What Participants Should Bring

• Rabies Vaccination Certificate (please upload via the Assignments section on the BCIreland course page in advance)
• Comfortable outdoor clothing layers including hat and weatherproof gear, sturdy footwear.
• Head torch and hand torch and spare batteries
• Bat detector
• Water bottle and snacks for fieldwork
• Thermal imaging equipment if you have any
• Notebook and pens

Venue Information:

Classroom sessions will take place at the Virginia Show Centre. Fieldwork will be carried out in Killeshandra and additional sites (exact locations to be confirmed).

Car sharing to fieldwork sites will be available to those traveling to Virginia via public transport.

Terms and Conditions of Course Bookings

Cancellation Policy

• Cancellation by registrant more than 14 days prior to the event – 10% cancellation fee applies
• Cancellation by registrant between 14 days and 48 hours prior to the event – 50% cancellation fee applies
• Cancellation by registrant less than 48 hours before the event, or non-attendance (no show) – 100% of the fee is retained

However, Bat Conservation Ireland endeavours to act fairly and in good faith with all course participants. If you are no longer able to attend a course, please contact us as soon as possible. Where a waiting list exists and your place can be filled, we may offer you a credit to attend a future course.

Course Delivery and Weather Policy

Field courses will proceed as scheduled except in the event of severe or unsafe weather conditions. This may include:

• Met Éireann amber or red weather warnings (e.g. extreme cold, heavy rainfall, high winds)
• Flooding or flood warnings
• Forest fires or other environmental hazards in or near the fieldwork location

If we need to postpone or cancel a course due to weather conditions or other circumstances beyond our control, participants will be notified as early as possible. In such cases, participants will be offered either:

• A full refund, or
• A place on a rescheduled equivalent course (subject to availability)