Scientists behind a citizen science initiative that is helping to uncover the hidden lives of bats living in Suffolk as well as supporting environmental wellbeing in rural communities are calling for people to support them further in 2026.

The University of Suffolk and Transition Woodbridge have been working for a number of years to monitor bat populations in Woodbridge. Working with the public to build ultrasonic microphones which are placed in gardens, researchers and students from the University of Suffolk’s Wildlife, Ecology and Conservation Science course can track the biodiversity and populations data recorded.

Supported by East Suffolk Council through the Melton, Woodbridge and Deben Peninsula Community Partnership, the project received £4,971 in funding which has helped to purchase materials needed to create the ultrasonic devices, support venue hire, and pay for the time of two research assistants who are managing the data collection.

The low-cost ultrasonic microphones which are built at community workshops involve a range of people in the community including local school students and families, helping the Community Partnership to meet its priority of increasing access to activities or options that support physical, mental, and environmental wellbeing for local rural communities for all ages.

Three workshops have already taken place where participants learnt the skills to build their own low-cost ultrasonic microphones and to share this knowledge with others. The devices which are connected to mobile phones are used to record wildlife sound data which is then sent to the university for analysis.

With more workshops planned for 2026, people of all ages are invited to attend the next workshops happening in February and March at the Melton Pavilion.

Councillor Stephen Molyneux, Chair of the Melton, Woodbridge and Deben Peninsula Community Partnership said: “It’s been amazing to see the enthusiasm and support from the community so far for this pioneering conservation project that’s reaching out to individuals and families from low income and rural backgrounds. The project is proving vital in providing experts with the data needed to uncover secrets of biodiversity in the area with a focus on bats as a signifier species. By supporting our communities to build monitoring equipment, as well as equip them with skills to pass on this knowledge, we hope this project can continue to flourish across the district.”

Dr Mark Bowler, Course Leader in Wildlife, Ecology and Conservation Science at the University of Suffolk said: "We’ve been delighted and overwhelmed by the enthusiasm, demand and support for collaborative bat investigation and research across East Suffolk.”

Dan Beckett, project student said: "This cool and exciting project is great to get the community involved, which is an essential part of successful conservation programmes of the future." 

Sign up to attend the Build Your Own Bat Detector Workshops on Thursday 5 February, Thursday 19 February and Thursday 19 March by visiting our Events page.

For further information about the undergraduate BSc (Hons) Wildlife, Ecology and Conservation Science course at the University of Suffolk, visit our course page.