Anything For Animals

posted by admin on May 25

This article details all you need to know as a beginner about a year in the life of a bat in the UK: 

Animal Type: Mammalia - Chiroptera

Species Info: There are 2 main Orders of bats in the world: Megachiroptera and Microchiroptera - but only the latter are found in the UK. 

UK Distribution:There are 17 species of Bat in the UK, with all these found in the South including the tiny Pipistrelle (only 5 grams) and the larger Daubenton’s and Noctule Bats, with only a few species found in the North.

Preferred Habitat: Around water (as this attracts their insect prey) and in quiet locations - although are quite happy to live in towns on canals or by lakes.  They need roosting sites nearby to where they feed - one for hibernating and another for summer roosting, so a variety of buildings, caves and holes in trees (or bat boxes) are essential.

In Spring:  Waking Up After Hibernation.
In early March, bats may still be hibernating but some will start to feed if necessary - however April is the month that you are most likely to start seeing many bats feeding at night in the UK.  By May there will be plenty of activity in the Bat world as the females are actively looking for communal nursery sites in which to have their young.

In Summer:  Giving Birth & Young Taking To The Skies.
The young are usually born in June (usually only 1 young per female per year).  These young stay in the nursery though most of July, building up strength until they start to leave the nest in August.  After the young have left, the females go off in search of males to mate with.

In Autumn:  Mating & Searching For A Hibernation Site.
The adult males and females spend most of September mating, as well as starting to build up fat reserves for the winter ahead by feasting on insects.  If the weather stays warm there could still be feeding into November, but when temperatures start to drop, the bats start to hibernate.

In Winter:  All UK Bats Are Hibernating.
You will rarely see a Bat through the cold winter as they will be be hibernating somewhere quiet and secure.  As the winter moves on they will stay in that place, gradually using up their fat reserves to stay alive.  Only when temperatures warm up nearing Spring will they naturally begin to stir and set out hunting again.

UK/World Events: 
May: UK National Moth & Bat Night
August: European Bat Weekend

Bat Groups:
UK - Bat Conservation Trust
US - Bat Conservation International
Other - South-East Asia Bat Conservation

Other Information:
Bats in the UK are protected by strict laws and you can be liable for a fine of up to £5000 and possible imprisonment per incident or ‘per bat’ if you deliberately capture, injure or kill a bat, destroy a roost - even if not in use, or intentionally block access to a bat roost.  So call an expert if in doubt!

posted by admin on May 15

Yes - that’s tonight.  It’s not too late to really help out with some local conservation work!

The Butterfly Conservation Trust has been running this event for years now (but without the bats - they are new this year: see below….) and they are always looking for new moth trappers and counters to help form a complete national distribution picture.

Moths and other insects are very susceptible to changing habitats and whole populations can rise or fall depending on how the land around them changes.  For example the building of a new road could affect their movement for many months - maybe too for too long and they stop moving altogether.   Even changing back gardens to decking, front gardens to drives, adding too many all-night light sources to distract them.

Moths & Bats:
There are a whole host of things that can prevent a moths natural behaviour, and this is where the bats come in.  Bats love eating insects - particularly moths.  Infact all 16 species of bat found in Britain eats moths as part of their diet, some more than others.

So if the moths are being affected by environmental changes or as a result of global warming, then bats will be too - so this year the Bat Conservation Trust have joined forces - and to save resources really.  If thousands of people are out at night counting and trapping moths - then why not get them to watch out for bats at the same time!

Do be aware however, that in the UK there are strict regulations about the proximity of humans to bats, and it is against the law for an unqualified person to approach bats when roosting or even to touch a bat they find on the ground or in their home.  So it is best to join a bat group to get really close and maybe to eventually become one of those qualified people!

How To Take Part:
Now, you can take part in any way you want really, whether you find a local event that is offering a nighttime bat walk with an expert, you might find an evening lecture and trapping session at a local wildlife centre or maybe you just want to trap moths at home yourself using any number of homemade or shop-brought ‘live’ traps.

You can download and pictures and all your results to the main Moth Count website up until the end of the year, giving you plenty of time to have identified everything you have found.  I mean there are an estimated 2500 species of moth found in Britain and the Channel Islands alone!

And you don’t need to be living in the countryside to take part - it is just as interesting to find out which moths and bats are living in towns and cities these days.  Migration and distribution changes through the years are a very interesting part of this study, as some species and up thriving in cities and others have to find a new place to live.  Just like people I suppose!

Something New:
Maybe you have never really been a fan of moths or bats - and you want to try something different.  Give it a go.

Your town and churchyard could look totally different at night and it could be a great adventure for the kids - I mean there is no point passing on your phobias to them is there.  They could be a budding wildlife volunteer in the making and help keep moths and bats as a vital part of our local environment in the future, for the animals.

Even if you don’t want to touch anything tonight, at least have a look at some of the creatures that use your garden at night.  There should be fox cubs around, maybe a hedgehog or badger as well.  You might hear the beautiful song of the nightingale, or an owl calling it’s mate.

And some moths aren’t that boring either - take the Elephant Hawk-moth:  A huge moth with delicate pink and lime green wings.  And you never know if you could find something new to Britain.  What if 1 of your moths is the first of it’s kind to head over from Europe - it has happened before on a Moth Night.

Happy Counting!