BATS - Male - Female - Pups - Roost - Colony

Bats are protected by law .

Do not use pesticides...........

you just don't know who you are killing...............

These intriguing creatures are the world's only true flying mammals. They are one of the most diverse mammal groups on theplanet, second only to the rodents in number of species.

They are on every continent except Antarctica. There are 16 breeding species in the UK and several vagrant visitors .
Bat populations have declined dramatically in recent years. During the 20th century, bat numbers have dropped drastically several species of bats are now seriously threatened, and in the last decade one species – the greater mouse-eared bat – became extinct as a UK breeding species. Pipistrelle numbers, for example, are estimated to have dropped by about 70% during the 15-year period 1978-1993.

It is ridiculous that in the 20th century we are still wiping out animal species. 25% of the worlds bats are threatened with extinction and at least 12 species have already become extinct.

It is illegal to kill bats, to disturb them, or to damage their roost sites.

Our UK BATS are...

1. pipistrelle
2. brown long eared
3. grey long eared
4. greater horseshoe
5. lesser horseshoe
6. daubenton
7. nattere
8. whiskered
9. brandt
10. common pipistrelle
11. soprano pipistrelle
12. nathusius pipistrelle
13. serotine
14. bachstein
15. barbastrelle
16. leiisler
17. noctule

Pipistrelles are estimated to each consume up to 3,000 mosquitoes a night and bats generally feed on the adults of various pest moths including cutworms, chafers, wireworms, and flies such as fever fly and crane fly. A change in farming and pesticides has seen the numbers reduce.

Bat Biology

Bats world wide range is size from the flying fox with a wing span of 2 meters to a bat the size of a bee. They are intelligent, social mammals that can live for up to 30 years. All bats in the UK are relatively small – ranging from our smallest, the pipiestrelle, which weighs around 4-5 g (0.18 oz) and has a wingspan of 20 cm (8 in), to the 40 g (1.4 oz) noctule with a 40 cm (16 min) wingspan.

Bats sleep in the day and feed during the night, locating their prey by echolocation.

Feeding

In the UK, bats feed exclusively on insects. Different species have different feeding behaviors. They may catch insects in flight, or pick them off the surface of open water, or from the ground or foliage. In summer, bats emerge from their roosts at dusk to feed. The distances traveled to feeding sites very considerably, both within and between species. While some species feed close to their roost site, like brown long-eared bats, which normally forage within 1 km of their roost, others fly long distances – noctules have been recorded flying more than 26 km to feeding areas. Bats use a number of foraging sites every night, moving between them to locate areas for high insect densities.

Bats frequently return to the same foraging sites on a regular basis, sometimes visiting the same site at the same time each night. However, a large number of feeding areas are needed throughout the year as feeding patterns change in response to insect availability, which, in turn, alters both seasonally and with local weather conditions. Particular foraging sites may be very important to a large number of bats and used by several species at the same time.

For a Bat friendly garden click here

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