Dan and the Bats

Home
United Kingdom
Huddersfield
Dan and the Bats

If you find a grounded or injured bat please call the BCT on 0345 1300 228 and follow their advice

05/07/2025

Discover the magic of summer nights in your garden, where bats take to the sky at dusk. Our gardens are vital for providing food and shelter to these fascinating creatures as their habitats dwindle: https://www.bats.org.uk/advice/gardening-for-bats

27/06/2025

Interesting year of a bat.

21/06/2025

APPEAL:

Thank you to everyone past and present who have supported .

It's time for our annual summer appeal for the usual bits and bobs that really makes a difference to our . All our work is voluntary and we fund it ourselves as well as kind donations from lovely members of the public.

are vital as they really have an impact on what we do day to day. Sadly I don't accept cash donations, I much prefer the items that directly help our bats such as the food and consumables we use every day.

have been born really early -seems like summer is officially here. Recently I went out for 1 and came back with 3 and we are now hand feeding a current total of 4 .

Work on the bat shed continues too. We are getting it finished off, ready for the pups to be in there soon. When it is complete it will look more like a mini hospital than a shed which will be great for day to day bat care. This has been entirely funded by West Yorkshire Bat Group.

If you would like to help out with the bits we need for this season (and the next few more seasons) please consider an item from the wishlist. Every little helps

Our Amazon list:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/20U9GR3BRWEU3?ref_=wl_share

16/06/2025

It's been a release kind of day.

First off we had Henry from Holmfirth - a common that needed some B&B to get some weight on him before release back to the wild. He knew exactly where to go and was off out of my hand as I was getting him out.

Then as sunset became more established, you might recall Lenny the from earlier in the week. Lenny had been out in the flight cage performing well so he needed to go. Not as keen a Henry but eventually he stretched his wings out and flew. (Thanks to the finder for the video).

And no, it wasn't deliberate to name them after - that's just how it worked out.

They're both back in the wild now, best place for them!

13/06/2025

I've Found a Bat..... what do I do?

As the season has begun I'm putting this here for general advice regarding found bats. Avoiding posting (if possible) in Facebook groups as it may result in a delay in getting care for the bat if the group isn't monitored by someone who can help.

The best thing for the bat is to ensure you contain it in a box, with a small lid of water. DO NOT FEED the bat anything as they have a specialised diet and will cope fine without food until help is arranged. Try and avoid contact getting the bat into the box by using gloves or putting the box over the top of the bat and sliding card under it before inverting the box.

IF IT'S A BABY - we frequently get false alarms for baby bats. All bats are small.and size doesn't indicate if it's a baby. See the attached picture for a guide, but essentially, little or no fur = baby. Loads of fur = adult. Please call the helpline (at the bottom of this post) asap if you have a baby as it will need specialised advice which may involve attempting to get it back to mum. DO NOT place it back where you think it has come from. The roost or mother may have moved or might not find the baby. We have techniques we can try to get them back together again.

https://www.bats.org.uk/advice/help-ive-found-a-bat

https://www.westyorkshirebats.org.uk/found-an-injured-bat/

REMEMBER:

* Contain in a box with a small lid of water
* Call the helpline - 0345 1300 228
* If unable to reach helpline - call a vet
* DO NOT FEED
* Babies have little or no fur
* DO NOT attempt to put babies back

BCT - National Bat Helpline
0345 1300 228

12/06/2025

WOW

These do not happen nearly often enough. Such a happy ending.😍

Tonight I received my (personal) first call for a . They were local and it was coming up to sunset so I headed over as soon as I could.

The finders absolutely love their roost and regularly watch the bats emerging. This was also a great bit of intel. They knew exactly where the bats come out from and roughly which direction they fly off in. On that flight path was a perfectly positioned trampoline complete with netting.

I made the plan to stay and attempt a reunite. The finders found a white sheet that we could hang inside (to help see the baby more clearly) and bless the baby, it shouted and made a lot of vocalisations.

Eventually there was interest in the noises and mum did a test landing. The finders had to shoo away a cat that was stalking mum and baby and then shortly after she landed. She raced to her baby, got it back where it belongs and after a short while took off with it.

I couldn't be happier. Always best getting these babies back to their mum.

See my Instagram page to see the reunite video (FB doesn't allow the length)

09/06/2025

Wow! What a busy weekend here in West Yorkshire.

I have had several admissions myself which have been all adults this weekend, 3 of which 2 were too poorly and did not survive. Followed by this interesting chap, Larry. (More later)

We have also had 2 baby bats found in Featherstone, Wakefield and Rodley, Leeds which will be cared for by local carers. These are a little bit earlier than other years but mark the start of pup season (a post will follow about this).

Back to Larry - the 's. Recognised as Near Threatened by the IUCN, Leisler's have excellent distribution across Northern Ireland and Southern UK but marks an interesting record for West Yorkshire due to its rarity. As bats go, it's quite a sizeable bat for the UK species. Learn more at: https://www.bats.org.uk/about-bats/what-are-bats/uk-bats/leislers-bat

Larry was found in Huddersfield and was in pretty good shape despite being covered in a bit of debris from the room he was found in. He's really taken to feeding mealworms so hopefully, a good feed and he can be released back to the wild.

17/04/2025

has been seeing a rise in the number of calls for bats who are being found. These have come through from the national helpline.

If you find an injured or grounded , please in the first instance call on 0345 1300 228 and they will pass you onto a carer. If you see blood or broken bones you can also take the bat straight to a vet

This chap, Barry is a bat and was found grounded on a pavement between two buildings. Almost mistaken for a leaf. The finder called BCT who put her in touch with me.

He has eaten, had a drink and had a health check. He looks all good to go and will be released tonight around dusk.

25/09/2024

Sharing my most recent project completed. A in my daughter's . As she absolutely loves it's a great space for her to climb, explore and read her books in.

We are so chuffed with how it's come out and she absolutely loves it too.

13/07/2024

Amazon just arrived and I'm so overwhelmed by the generosity. Some of this will last a long time.

I'm absolutely stoked by what's arrived. Thank you to all the supporters that have sent these it is really helpful. They're some very lucky bats.

12/07/2024

Urgent help needed.

It's mad busy here at the moment with the bats.

We have 16 babies now that all require regular hand feeding. These pretty much all arrived within the space of a week and are desperately short of certain consumables, like tea towels.

If anyone would like to support the rescue, I don't ask for cash but will gladly accept anything from the rescue wish list (below). Feel free to get alternatives if you want.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/20U9GR3BRWEU3?ref_=wl_share

Address

Huddersfield
HD46LP

Website

https://www.bats.org.uk/advice/help-ive-found-a-bat/bats-in-need-of-rescue/assess-the-situation

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Dan and the Bats posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organisation

Send a message to Dan and the Bats:

Shortcuts

Want your organisation to be the top-listed Government Service in Huddersfield?