BETA-FOR_SP9_Bats_2022/2023

This dataset contains records of bat (Chiroptera) activity collected using bat recorders (batcorders) across 234 BETA-FOR patches.

One batcorder was installed per patch within a maximum radius of 15 meters from the patch center, where it was possible to hang the recorder on a tree at a height of 1.50–1.70 m. The recorder settings were configured as follows: quality set to 20, post-trigger duration of 400 ms, threshold level at −27 dB, and critical call frequency at 16 kHz.

The recorders were active for one night per sampling session, starting one hour before sunset and running until one hour after sunrise. Sampling was primarily conducted in June and July, with additional nights in May, June, and August to compensate for poor weather or sampling conditions.

Sampling was carried out in 2022 for 90 patches in the University Forest and 90 patches in the Bavarian Forest. In 2023, the 54 patches located in Saarland, Hunsrück, and Lübeck were sampled.

To analyze bat call sequences and measure their acoustic properties, we used bcAdmin4 (Version 1.2.6, ecoObs GmbH). Automated identification of bat calls was then performed using batIdent (Version 1.5, ecoObs GmbH).

The dataset includes all detected calls, even those not always identified to the species level. The corresponding minute counts refer to the number of minutes within a recording session during which at least one bat call was detected.