 Bat Boxes
In March 2003 we asked our members for donations towards the provision of
bat boxes in the Abbey Fields which proved very successful. They were made
for us by the Warwickshire Bat Group and were erected by their volunteers and
Warwick District Council Arboricultural team.
In September 2004, Paul Elliot, John Waller and Jackie Underhill from the
Warwickshire Bat Group inspected the bat boxes. Each box was marked with a
number for future identification and then checked for occupancy. Because the
young bats had now gone from their parents' roosts to find their own favourite
place, Paul and the others were looking more for signs that bats had been in
residence rather than the bats themselves. They found bat droppings in six
of the boxes, and one of them, on a large oak to the north of the lake, actually
contained a bat, which was thought to be a soprano pipistrelle. Paul and his
crew were satisfied with their findings as it can take years for bats to get
used to boxes that have been newly installed.
In September 2007 we held a bat walk. It was an extraordinary evening, for
under the expert guidance of John Waller from the Warwickshire Bat Society,
we were taken into the twilight world of the pug faced furry mammals. We were
delighted to learn that Abbey Fields is one of the prime sites for bats, home
to 13 out of the 15 known varieties of bats in the UK. Our problem in 'seeing'
the bats was overcome with the use of bat detectors the size of a mobile phone
with two dials to change the sound frequency and volume. All bats use a radar
echo system to prevent them from flying into objects and to locate the insects
and midges on which they feed. By using the detectors which lowers the sound
frequency we were able to pick up the bats and their location giving us more
chance of catching a glimpse of them dancing in the night sky.
The sound of Noctule bats was all around us in the early evening; these are
one of the largest bats in the UK weighing 18/20 grams, have a 12" wingspan
and reach a speed of 30 mph. They are one of the first bats to appear and they
prefer to take their food in open environments. A bat will eat up to 3,000
insects each night and its body weight will increase by over 50%. As dusk descended
we moved down onto the path between the stream and the lake and it was here
that the fun really started! Pipistrelles were everywhere,
chasing up and down the edge of the willow trees feeding on insects rising
from the lake. The "clicks" from the detectors was almost continuous as these,
the smallest UK bats, flew among us. The Pipistrelle is a mere 4 grams in weight
with a 2-2.5" wing span. The females generally have just one young in June/early
July which weighs in at 1 gram but within 6/8 weeks it is up to its adult weight.
The Pipistrelle is the most widely seen bat in the UK.
With night closing in and the chill air beginning to make us shudder we were
amazed to see with the use of a powerful torch yet another unseen bat, the
Daubenton. These are the last to come out to feed which they do flying in straight
lines a few centimetres over the water like a hoover sucking up all the small
insects. It was a spended end to a delightful evening and one which not only
gave us a better insight into the lives and habits of these little mammals,
but equally it made us realise Abbey Fields importance as a haven for all sorts
of wildlife and that we need to ensure its continuity.
Keep an eye on our future activities to find out when our next bat walk is
planned.
Bat
Facts:
- In winter bats hibernate in cool buildings, caves or hollow trees.
- Britain's commonest bat, the pipistrelle, is only 4cm long and weighs about
5 grams - less than a 2p coin. With its wings folded it can fit inside a
match box!
- 12 of the 16 bat species found in Britain are either endangered or vulnerable.
- Female bats give birth to just one baby a year.
- Bats are useful for pollination and seed dispersal.
For further information visit www.warksbats.co.uk
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