A passion for bats

Lydia-Rose Cox (BSc Wildlife Conservation with Natural Resource Management)

My passion for the British countryside and wildlife led me to choose the BSc Wildlife Conservation with Natural Resource Management course, and I am so glad I did. By undertaking this course, it has helped me to pursue my interests and gain many new skills, including GIS and report writing which have helped me gain my ideal job in Ecological Consultancy, working for ADAS.

Throughout my time at Harper I have faced many challenges both academic and personal, but the help and support I received during my studies was excellent, with staff always prepared to listen and understand and often provide helpful advice.

For my placement year I chose to work with the Field Studies Council in the Lake District, and although this was not an area I initially wanted to pursue,  I had the best time and picked up many transferable skills, including the ability to communicate with different audiences, water safety skills and much more.

My interest in wildlife, in particular bats, has been a key part of my university career. My dissertation was based on research into the impacts of new artificial lighting technology, particularly the UK’s move to LED streetlights, has on bats.

During my studies I began carrying out bat box checks with my local bat group. These entailed checking boxes in autumn and spring for any signs of activity, or finding live individuals, which are then weighed, sexed and measured. From volunteering I was able to gain paid experience carrying out Emergence and Re-entry surveys on a wide range of buildings and projects for 3 companies. My interest in bats as a species, has enabled me to handle 8 out of the 17 species native to the UK and I am also using this experience and the contacts gained through both work and volunteering to apply for my Natural England licence.