Great to see my PhD research on barbastelle bat flight behaviour over roads featured by the University of Sussex on Research at Sussex! 🦇
📰 Scientific Reports article: lnkd.in/eHBZweAj
🔗 ResearchGate: lnkd.in/eFt_-ijZ
…and if you want to see the actual 3D reconstructed flight paths (which I think are pretty cool anyway), check them out here: doi.org/10.6084/m9.f... 🦇💨
📢 New paper from my PhD! 🦇
Using 3D reconstructions of barbastelle bat flight paths over roads, we found that increasing canopy cover leads to lower flight heights, elevating collision risk.
@vincentwt.bsky.social @sussex.ac.uk
#PhD #Bats #Ecology #Conservation
🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Here is a very cool piebald Ethiopian epauletted fruit bat (Epomophorus labiatus) that we caught last month in Lilongwe, Malawi! 🦇
Piebaldism is a rare genetic condition caused by the absence of melonocytes in certain patches of skin and fur.
#bats #research #fieldwork #malawi #wildlife
Anyone have any thoughts what the cause of this baldness could be in this Angolan free-tailed bat? Caught just now in Kuti Wildlife Reserve, Malawi!
#bats #Malawi #fieldwork #africa #nature #wildlife
Here’s a striking large-eared free-tailed bat (Otomops martiensseni) from Ntchisi Forest Reserve, one of Malawi’s last rainforests 🌳
This was the first record of this species in Malawi for @africanbatcon.bsky.social 🦇🎉
#bats #ntchisi #Malawi #conservation #fieldwork #rainforest
We recently visited the site and spotted the bats ourselves—confirming they’re slit-faced bats (Nycteris sp.). Some great footage captured by Kuti Wildlife Reserve! 🦇🦔
#Wildlife #Bats #CameraTrap #Coexistence #Malawi #Nature
Many years later, I finally got a good slow-mo of a bat release—helped by the fact it was a big slow bat: the Wahlberg’s epauletted fruit bat (Epomophorus wahlbergi), caught near the tea plantations of Mount Mulanje🦇⛰️☕️
#bats #Malawi #mulanje #mountmulanje #fieldwork #nature #wildlife #conservation
Whilst we try not to catch birds whilst mist netting for bats, this nightjar was certainly a nice surprise! Caught at Kumbali Game Reserve just outside Lilongwe, Malawi 🇲🇼 🐦⬛
#nightjar #birds #bats #nature #fieldwork #lilongwe #malawi #wildlife
Last month, my team at @africanbatcon.bsky.social did some research at Kuti Wildlife Reserve. Whilst there, we were joined by a few guests — free-tailed bat pups! 🦇
The pups had fallen from their roost, but we managed to reunite them with their mothers after some care
#Bats #Conservation #Wildlife
Two for one! We knew from radiotracking that there were a few lions in the area, but it was a nice surprise to have them join us while we watched the cheetah. A worthwhile weekend escape with @leastracq.bsky.social to Liwonde National Park! 🦁🐆
#Wildlife #LiwondeNationalPark #Lions #Cheetah #Malawi
Exciting opportunity to join our team at African Bat Conservation! 🦇 We're looking for a Research Assistant to support fieldwork across Malawi.
#conservationjobs #bats #wildlifejobs #research
I found this beautiful stray dog last night. I wonder what breed it is? 🤔
#Malawi #Africa #Cute #Scorpion #Nature #Widlife #KutiWildifeReserve
POV: You get distracted by some bats in a tree for just a moment… and a monkey steals your dinner 🐒🌳
#WildlifeEncounters #MonkeyBusiness #VervetMonkey #Monkey #Malawi #KutiWildlifeReserve
Please do join! I'll be on a panel of bat experts later today, discussing all things bats! 🦇
#Bats #Conservation #Wildlife #Ecology
Myself and the @africanbatcon.bsky.social team have escaped the city for some fieldwork at Kuti Wildlife Reserve, helping a student investigate how lighting affects bat behaviour! 🦇🌿
We started the day with a few zebras for company at breakfast! 🦓☕
#Fieldwork #WildlifeConservation #Bats #Malawi
And now pee...
Being shit on by a straw-coloured fruit bat is just another day in the office 💩 🦇
This is normal for everyone, right...?
#bats #fieldwork #poop #splat #nature #officelife #malawi #lilongwe #wildlife #poophappens
I question that myself, it's rainy season here so most days we end up cancelling 😂
Bat survey with a local bar is always a nice bonus 🦇
...and of course, the hundreds of free-tailed bats we had emerging was quite nice too
#bats #lilongwe #Malawi #survey #roost #nature
Straw-coloured fruit bats emerging at dusk! 🦇
My team at @africanbatcon.bsky.social and Land & Lake Safaris hosted a bat walk in Lilongwe on Friday, where we were joined by around 80 people. Great to see so much interest in bats!
#conservation #bats #nature #lilongwe #malawi #fruitbats #wildlife
It was nice to spend a few weeks away from Malawi and back to the UK for some miserable weather. New Years in the Lake District was particularly wet and windy, but otherwise fun 🌬🌧⛰️
#lakedistrict #outdoors #hiking #nature #lakes #mountains #lakewindermere #coniston #pikeofblisco
Revisited Nkhoma mountain for some bouldering last weekend. Very fortunate to have this amazing spot just a short drive from Lilongwe! 🧗♂️⛰️
@leastracq.bsky.social #bouldrering #climbing #mountains #nkhoma #Malawi #outdoors #nature #adventure
One of the few free-tailed bats we caught last night with @africanbatcon.bsky.social 🦇
This one's most likely the white-bellied (Mops niveiventer) or the Angolan (Mops condylurus) free-tailed bat.
#Bats #Conservation #Surveys #Lilongwe #Malawi
Happy to answer any questions you may have!
Come join us at @africanbatcon.bsky.social! 🦇
We're hiring a Research Assistant based in Lilongwe, with time spent across our various field sites. Gain experience in trapping, acoustics, and roost surveys. Perfect for bat lovers!
Please share!
To apply: www.africanbatconservation.org/vacancies
Would be great to be added, I'm the research manager @africanbatcon.bsky.social
I've recently joined the team at African Bat Conservation, a non-profit organisation based in Malawi🦇
To stay updated on their latest research and conservation activities, be sure to give them a follow @africanbatcon.bsky.social
#bats #research #conservation #wildlife #nature
It was a pleasure to attend, even if I had to borrow clothes since I didn't pack anything smart for Africa!
Cameroon leaf-nosed bat (Doryrhina camerunensis) from Nyungwe National Park - this was the first time this data deficient species had been detected in #Rwanda 🦇
