ONE of the biggest bat surveys made in Scotland is to begin in Perth this summer.
Enthusiasts are being sought to help record the species of bats in Perth, and where they live in the city.
Perth and Kinross Council is leading the project with the Bat Conservation Trust and Perth Bat Group.
The £10,000 project, which received funding from the Tayside Biodiversity Partnership and Awards for All, will take place between this month and August.
Around 40 volunteers are needed to make the surveys, either through reporting the presence of bats spotted in Perth, or by using bat-detector equipment.
The survey work is part of the Perth City Bat Project, which aims to survey each area of Perth for a “bat hotspots” map.
A spokesman for Perth and Kinross Council said: “The project will also encourage people to get out of doors and see their environment in a new way, and encourage a greater awareness of bats and their habitats.
“If successful, Perth will be the first city in Scotland to have been surveyed in this way over one summer.
“Bats can be seen from sunset onwards and prefer warmer, dry evenings with little or no wind but will venture out on any evening if they are hungry.
“The best time to see bats is from about 20 minutes after sunset until it gets dark. You are likely to see them when they are feeding on insects, so they are common in gardens, near trees and hedgerows, and near water.”
Two public talks about the project will take place on May 8 and 11, at 7pm at the lecture theatre in Perth’s A.K. Bell Library.
For more information visit Perth City Bat Project website at www.pkc.gov.uk/countryside or contact Niall Lobley on 01738 475393.