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Batmann the Newsletter of Manx Bat Group Autumn 2014 How to Build a Bat BatMann The newsletter of Manx Bat Group Autumn 2014 How to build a bat e recently teamed up with the she’s not really blind, as the saying goes, WManx Wildlife Trust Watch group, but has very good eyesight; big feet to who wanted to learn more about bats. hang on upside-down with; her single bat It was the night before Hop tu Naa and baby (and of course its milk in a bottle!); an enthusiastic group started the evening and lastly some tasty mealworms and with some batty crafts – stencilling bats beetles for her to eat. Yum! onto stones, colouring in bat pictures and Afterwards Sue and Margaret from the preparing bat finger puppets. Bat Group answered lots more questions Everyone had fun looking at pictures about bats, from how long does a bat live, and information to find answers to a bat to where do bats sleep, and are there quiz, and we then tackled some true or really vampire bats (we always get asked false statements about bats. that one). Everyone had a chance to look To find out the answers we decided to at some preserved specimens of real bats build a bat! Hollie volunteered to be our and see how tiny they actually are. bat, and she was soon kitted out with all We rounded off with a game of ‘bat and the features that make a bat a bat: a nice moth’, where the bat has to guess where furry body to make her a mammal; some the moth is by following its clicks. Last (inflatable!) bat wings; big ears to hunt was a funny singing game, and everyone for her dinner; big glasses to show that went away happy. Margaret Hunter 1 BatMann © Manx Bat Group, Isle of Man Get involved! registered charity no. 443 A Bat Conservation Trust Partner There are lots of opportunities for you to Photographs are © the authors unless get involved in Bat Group activities, and specified otherwise. at the same time learn more about bats and help promote their conservation: Contributions for the newsletter may be sent for consideration to the editor at: Bat surveys [email protected] We get asked to survey properties subject to planning proposals/building work for Members can also submit stories via our any potential issues that may affect bats. website. Just log in then choose ‘Submit an article’ from the user menu. We usually visit twice and need lots of volunteers to cover all angles! www.manxbatgroup.org Educational activities We visit schools, youth and community Manx Bat Group contacts groups and workplaces to give talks about bats, run awareness-raising activities or Chairman: Bob Moon [email protected] lead private bat walks. Treasurer: Nick Pinder Your bat stories [email protected] Tell us your bat-related news, bat-spotting Secretary: Margaret Hunter records or stories of encounters with bats [email protected] and we may include them in BatMann or Recorder: Nick Pinder the website. [email protected] DEFA representative: Richard Selman Bat boxes Other committee members: Emily Cleator, Help build bat boxes and check on those Heather Cleator, Jill Dunlop, Richard Fryer, already placed around the island. Sue Moon, John Wardle BatMann and website: Margaret Hunter Roost checks and surveys Please check our website for latest officers, who are Help us monitor bat activity and habitat due to change at our AGM in December. during checks of known roost sites, looking for new roosts, eg bridge surveys, and by helping with structured surveys, such as car surveys and Bat Search. Bat Helpline Bat care If you find an injured or grounded bat Become a trained bat worker so you can or have a bat query, please call: care for grounded and injured bats, or bats disturbed during building works. Full 366177 training is available for this role. 2 Feedback on the new Bat Group structure ou may have noticed that the structure Yof our Bat Group activities changed in 2014, following our discussion at the 2013 AGM. We began a new format of regular monthly indoor meetings for training and wider discussion of bat- related matters, as well as continuing our fieldwork surveys, some bat walks and outreach work such as talks to groups and information stalls at the summer shows. We hope that members have found this new set-up beneficial. After some feedback and review, we intend to continue this format in 2015, but with a few improvements. We will have a slot for discussion of short items at the start of each session, and the general event will follow. This will also be the time to catch up with what other members have been doing, report bats in care and new bat or roost records, and We hope all members will join in our deal with any formal Bat Group business. monthly discussions and training It is hoped that this will encourage an opportunities on batty issues awareness of and involvement in the wider issues dealt with by the Group, For example, we need a group to focus which in previous years have been on news, publications and social media. discussed only within the committee. A project was suggested to raise more All feedback on this new format is awareness of bats among people working encouraged as we find out what works in pest control and the building trades. We best for our members and for our also need to develop our pool of people bat work. If you have issues or ideas available and trained to do bat care. And that you wish to raise at any monthly we are always looking for volunteers to meeting, please contact the secretary talk to schools and community groups or chairperson beforehand so that these about bats. can be added to the agenda for the next So don’t be shy. We want the Bat Group meeting. to be really active and to develop with We discussed having small working/ members’ interests and abilities. Have a project groups to take forward different think about what you’d like to delve into aspects of our work. This will allow a bit deeper with the help of some Bat members with particular enthusiasms or Group friends. skills to take forward specific projects. Richard Selman & Margaret Hunter 3 DEFA update October 2014 hat has been happening on the Electric bats Wbat front in government in the Recent work at the Manx Utilities past year or so, you might well ask? The electricity substation at St John’s has following are some matters that have shown bat roosting activity and liaison is arisen at or via the office that might ongoing regarding maintenance work at interest members. the site, which is being undertaken under licence and in a bat-friendly manner. A New species for Port St Mary number of substations have bats, being In May last year, a dead Natterer’s bat warm and relatively undisturbed. It will was a surprise find in the centre of Port St be useful to determine what is using this Mary (St Mary’s Avenue) with severe wing roost site and when. membrane damage on one side. This is our first record for that area and not a site Bats on holiday? where we might expect to find them. The Reroofing is proposed at the brown long- occurrence of this species there deserves eared roost in Kewaigue School, but this some further investigation, so if you live has been postponed. DEFA and the DEC in that area… Thanks to Bob Taylor and are looking at options for housing the bats Paddy of the fish market for bringing this during the work, which must take place to our attention. during the summer holidays, providing a significant challenge. Bat exclusion Meanwhile, previously postponed work at Westlands in Peel, where pipistrelles roost in the boiler house, went ahead this year in May, and the bats were excluded while asbestos was removed from the building. This had to be done in the warm months with the heating switched off, but avoiding exclusion while the young Wildlife Act were present. A bat issue was brought to our attention With multiple entry points, the regarding the destruction of a building exclusion was not simple. A box was where a bat was found during works. provided but there were no signs of use, While there was no evidence on the bat though it had to go on a north-facing wall, matter, the investigation did result in a which is not ideal. formal caution for bird offences during In the longer term this building is the same work, and there is now better earmarked for demolition, so we will be communication between the contractor looking at alternative housing options for and the department and a greater bats at this site. awareness of the legislation. 4 Bats in care ur Bat Helpline assists members Oof the public who find grounded or injured bats. A Group member then Biodiversity Strategy attends as soon as possible to assess On the strategic side, now that we are whether the bat can be released or has to signed up to the Convention on Biological be taken into care. Here are some of this Diversity, an Isle of Man Biodiversity year’s more notable cases: Strategy is currently progressing through • The staff at Milntown found a female Tynwald, and this may result in work pipistrelle grounded inside the main streams relating to topics such as house. It had no apparent injuries, policy, education and awareness, and and at first took food and water, so monitoring. two release attempts were made, but There are opportunities here for with no success.
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