British Bat Calls: Guide To Species Identification, A

Description: Knowledge of bat echolocation and social calls, and identification using ultrasonic 'bat detectors' and sound analysis software, has grown significantly in the last decade. In this practical guide Jon Russ and contributors (Kate Barlow, Philip Briggs & Sandie Sowler) present the latest information in a clear and concise manner. The book covers topics including the properties of sound, how bats use sound, bat detectors and recording devices, analysis software, and call analysis. For each species found in the British Isles, information is given on distribution, emergence times, flight and foraging behaviour, habitat, echolocation calls including parameters for common measurements, and social calls. Calls are described in the context of the different technologies employed to record them (heterodyne, frequency division and time expansion). Various sonograms for each species are displayed in BatSound and AnaLookW. A species echolocation guide is included.

Review: Armed with this practical little book, researchers, surveyors and amateurs can go out into the night with the benefit of the knowledge and experience built up over the years by Russ and his colleagues. -- Andrew Branson British Wildlife

Contents: Introduction; 2. Bats and sound: Properties of sound; Signal acquisition; Representing and describing sound; How bats use sound; 3. Equipment: Bat detectors; Recording sound; 4. Call analysis: Sound analysis software; Automatic recognition software; Using sound analysis software; Measuring call parameters; AnalookW; Common analysis problems; 5. Species echolocation guide; 6. Species identification; Bibliography; Index.

Author Biography: Jon is the Director of Ridgeway Ecology, a specialist bat consultancy, and has worked for a number of years for the Bat Conservation Trust coordinating the iBats project in the UK and Eastern Europe. After nearly twenty years involvement in bat research and conservation around the world, he continues to be fascinated by these remarkable mammals.