What bats do you have and how can you help them • About British bats • What bats you have – including rarities • Projects of interest • What we can all do for all bats UK bat species British bats Horseshoe Horseshoes Greater horseshoe family Lesser horseshoe Myotis bats Alcathoe bat Bechstein’s bat Brandt’s bat Daubenton’s bat Natterer’s bat Whiskered Big bats Noctule Vesper family Leisler’s bat - evening bats or common Serotine bat Pipistrelles Common pipistrelle (Pipistrellus) Soprano pipistrelle Nathusius’ pipistrelle Long-eareds Brown long-eared bat (Plecotus) © Ash Murray © Ash Murray Grey long-eared bat Barbastelle 17 species of bats breed in the UK Unique in their power of flight Where bats live Bats use different roosts at different times of the year Bats often roost in buildings and other built structures Some bats only roost in trees Some bats will also roost in bat boxes Bat habitats: roosts Where bats feed Bats need good foraging habitat near to where they roost Good foraging habitats are those that support insects (and a range of other biodiversity) Bats will feed over water, woodland, marshy areas, hedgerows, grazed and semi-improved grassland Connectivity and unlit green infrastructure is important Bat habitats: foraging • Suitable feeding areas close to roost sites • Good variety and number of insects • Sheltered areas where insects can be caught more easily Bat habitats: linkages • Linear features such as hedgerows and other flight-line features • Vital for bats to navigate from roost to feeding area How do they hunt in the dark? Bats hunt insects in flight in the dark using sound Bats calls are above our hearing range, bat detectors to listen to their calls Pipistrelle can eat over 3,000 midges in one night Noctules eat larger insects such as beetles and cockchafers Eavesdropping on bats Devon’s bats © Hugh Clark The grey long-eared bat – what are we doing in Devon Grey long-eared bats roost locations Working with local communities Bats in Churches HLF development stage approval The project will: • trial and perfect new techniques to enable bats and church congregations to live together • build up professional expertise and volunteer skill to share the best solutions with more churches and other historic buildings • bring together church communities, bat enthusiasts and local communities to create a shared understanding and appreciation of churches and bats • run a new national survey to find out how bats use churches across England and create a database to share information with all key stakeholders Count Bat What we can all do for bats Go out and listen! • Go out at dusk and listen for bats on a detector • Watch bats emerge from a known roost • Look out for other signs of bats Bats you might see in Devon Daubenton’s Brown long- Pipistrelles Noctule bat eared bat Smallest bat Largest bat Medium bat Medium bat Wingspan 18-24cm Wingspan 32-45cm Wingspan 23-27cm Wingspan 24-28cm Emerges 15-20mins Emerges at sunset Emerges 30-60mins Emerges after dark after sunset after sunset Fast turning flight Long thin wings, flies Flies low over water Slow fluttering flight straight, high and fast has large hairy feet Rarer bats you might see around here • Greater and lesser horseshoe bats National Bat Monitoring Programme since 1996 How do we monitor bats? • Counts at roosts • Activity surveys using bat detectors Summer Roost Counts Waterway Survey Field Survey Winter Hibernation Survey NBMP Bat boxes • Put up a bat box . important because bats losing natural roosts • Lots of different designs • Place as high as convenient and in direct sunlight for part of the day • Three boxes can be put up on one tree – N, SE, SW • Readily available to buy or can make your own! Gardening for bats • Plants attract insects; insects attract bats! • Choose the right plants e.g. night-scented, pale • Wet area or pond • Avoid chemicals Bat Care Devon Bat Group & BCT A range of activities Bat Conservation Trust • Only national charity solely devoted to conservation of bats and their habitats. Supports network of over 95 bat groups . UK National Bat Monitoring Programme . Bat Helpline . Resources – leaflets, publications, etc . Training courses . Events Many thanks to the following people for the kind use of their images and footage: Hugh Clark Philip Briggs Rob Parkin Jules Agate Tina Wiffen Roger Jiggins Pat Morris/Ardea Anne Youngman John Altringham Shirley Thompson Hayden Smith Peter Crome Patty Briggs Mark Payne-Gill Daniel Whitby Daniel Hargreaves © All images and footage are copyright of the individual photographer and the Bat Conservation Trust. None of the images can be reproduced, distributed or edited without the prior consent of the Bat Conservation Trust..