Overview

In the urban environments of the West Midlands, UK, Morgan Hughes of the Birmingham and Black Country Bat Group is pioneering novel, scalable techniques to track and understand the movements of insectivorous bats—particularly Myotis daubentonii—through densely built-up landscapes. This work addresses a crucial conservation challenge: a lack of empirical data on urban bat commuting behavior. This has historically led to ineffective or poorly informed mitigation in development projects.

Hughes developed and implemented the Multi-Point Activity Survey (MultiPAS) method, a field-based, low-cost, and replicable approach to monitor bat movements along urban linear features—particularly canals and canal junctions. By combining this field methodology with ecological theory, species energetics, and the urban planning context, this case study demonstrates how MultiPAS data can directly inform decisions about urban dark corridors, habitat connectivity, and biodiversity-sensitive infrastructure.

Objectives

• Track commuting bat movements along urban canals and junctions using acoustic and visual detection.

• Identify ingress and egress points, ‘hop-on/hop-off’ zones, crossing points, and overland shortcuts.

• Use empirical flight speed and timing data to determine individual bat routes and behavior.

• Inform evidence-based planning, including selection of urban dark corridors and retention zones for vegetation.

• Mitigate impacts of urban artefacts such as artificial light, barriers, and noise on bat commuting.

Methodology: MultiPAS and the Echo Meter Approach

Equipment and Data Collection

Using a grant from Wildlife Acoustics, Hughes obtained Echo Meter Touch 2 Pro full-spectrum bat detectors. These are paired with calibrated Lenovo tablets to produce GPS-tagged, time-stamped call recordings with high accuracy. These detectors are stationed at multiple points along canals or junctions to allow synchronized multi-point data collection.

Surveyors were strategically placed at 175–200 m intervals along linear routes or at key canal junctions. Data was used to identify bat call sequences across points, allowing tracking of individual bats' travel routes.

To validate individual bat tracking, flight speeds of M. daubentonii were manually measured, averaging 4.9–6.1 meters per second, confirming the utility of time/distance analysis to connect call detections between survey teams.

Study Sites and Design

Linear Survey (Rushall Canal, 2.8 km)

• 16 survey points (Alpha–Papa)

• Tracked 191 northward M. daubentonii passes

• Identified major ingress at a railway crossing and major egress at points “November” and “Oscar” leading into a residential area

• Revealed a critical overland shortcut through a tree line, avoiding light pollution and saving energy

Junction Survey (Five Major Canal Junctions)

• Dudley Port Junction: Bats exited Netherton Tunnel and crossed a railway to reach Sheepwash Reserve—revealing a key railway crossing risk point.

• Tipton Junction: Bats used a vegetated overland shortcut rather than canal routes to reach foraging areas, avoiding lit zones.

• Rushall Junction: Identified Ray Hall Sewage Works as an unexpected high-value foraging site based on egress patterns.

Key Results

1. Evidence-Based Route Mapping

• MultiPAS captured repeatable, landscape-scale commuting patterns of M. daubentonii.

• Visual and acoustic data pinpointed specific entry and exit points and commuting corridors.

2. Energetic Cost and Behavior Insights

• Calculations showed that overland shortcuts could save bats up to 5.5% of their daily calorific intake, which is significant during lactation or poor foraging conditions.

• Avoidance of well-lit areas demonstrates that even urban-adapted species engage in light-averse behavior when alternatives exist.

3. Crossing Point Identification

• MultiPAS pinpointed railway crossing zones, showing how bats use vegetated areas to safely traverse infrastructure—valuable for mitigation planning.

Ecological and Planning Implications

The Landscapes of Energy and Fear

The observed movements are shaped by two major forces:

• Energy landscape: Bats seek efficient, low-cost routes between roosts and feeding grounds.

• Fear landscape: Bats avoid perceived predation risk, amplified by open ground and artificial light/noise.

MultiPAS reveals how bats negotiate these competing pressures—sometimes opting for longer routes if they are darker and safer.

Urban Artefacts as Ecological Filters

• Light and hard standing act as negative artefacts, reducing bat activity.

• Vegetation and water channels serve as positive artefacts, enhancing safe movement and connectivity.

This data allows planners to distinguish functional corridors from ecological traps.

Applications in Urban Sustainability

MultiPAS offers a non-invasive, cost-effective alternative to radio telemetry, yielding data from multiple individuals across wide areas. It is especially useful in urban areas founded on historic waterways, where infrastructure overlays natural commuting routes.

Planners can now:

• Design effective dark corridors based on real bat usage

• Retain or enhance vegetation at proven crossing and feeding points

• Reduce unnecessary mitigation structures (e.g., ineffective gantries)

• Target urban greening and lighting strategies based on species-specific behavioral data

Conclusions

Morgan Hughes’ innovative application of MultiPAS demonstrates how community-led, technology-enabled surveys can bridge the gap between ecological research and practical urban planning. These insights are not only crucial for M. daubentonii, but provide analogs for broader bat conservation efforts.

By integrating ecological theory, behavioral energetics, and practical field data, this case study sets a benchmark for evidence-based urban sustainability planning—providing a model that can be adapted for riparian corridors in urban areas across Europe and beyond.