Bats in Backyards
Mid Macquarie Landcare have been working with DCCEEW to support their Bats in Backyards monitoring program. Turns out we're pretty batty!
What we did
2024: Mid Macquarie Landcare were approached by the Bats in Backyards (BIB) team to help them fill some of the gaps in knowledge about what microbat species are active in the Wellington region.
10 AudioMoth bat detectors were installed to record for a period of 1 week. These record the echolocation signals of bats passing the detector as they forage during the night. The recordings are then viewed as a spectrogram image allowing the BIB team identify them to species level.
We aimed to capture a range of different habitats, from Mount Arthur Reserve, to the Bell and Macquarie Rivers, in urban backyards and out on agricultural land.
THEN in March 2025 we expanded operations and put 20 AudioMoth bat detectors out across the Wellington-Guerie-Dubbo region.
Here's where we put them:
What we found
A total of 12 species of microbat were confirmed (up from 11 in 2024), with a further 3 species that were probably present 😯 🤯
Here's what microbat species were found in and around Wellington and Dubbo in 2025:
Quick facts:
- 4 species were found that are listed as Vulnerable (threatened species)
- Chalinolobus dwyeri (Large-eared Pied Bat) was recorded in Wellington in 2024 but was not recorded in 2025.
- There were large numbers of calls recorded for Vulnerable species Miniopterus orianae (Large Bent-winged Bat) and Saccolaimus flaviventris (Yellow-bellied Sheath-tailed Bat)
- In 2025 we also captured a probable recording of the elusive and very cool Southern Myotis (Myotis macropus) one of only 2 bats found in Australia that catch fish!!
CLICK HERE to view the Species Profiles for these microbats.
What it means
There is so much that is unknown about microbats because they're really hard to study!
In total across Wellington the BIB program has recorded more than 36940 bat calls, demonstrating that we are a hotspot for bat activity in the state as this is higher than any of the other regions of focus.
This citizen science project is helping the Bats in Backyards team learn more about:
- what microbats are around
- where they are are hanging out (lol - get it??)
- how they are being impacted by landscape changes and
- What the community know and feel about microbats and how to help them.
Here's a snapshot of how we've contributed to this project:
For information on the 2024 events community education events we ran: Bat Day and BatNight Returns visit our News Story or Facebook Page for photos.
In 2025.... BatNight Returns!
We're back and we are bigger than ever. This year we are running BatNight in Dubbo at the marvellous Lazy River Estate. Theres an amazing lineup of speakers and activities planned - stay tuned!!