Anything For Animals

posted by admin on Aug 15

RSPB - The Royal Society For The Protection Of Birds

Although the full name seems very old-fashioned and a little specific in nature - the new RSPB is about so much more these days!

Yes, it is still the UK’s biggest bird charity - but they have expanded their horizons.  They have found that just protecting the birds themselves doesn’t solve the problems facing them and neither does keeping them isolated.

Birds have to feed, breed and rear young - they aren’t just isolated beings - therefore their whole habitat and feeding areas need to be preserved.  As do all the other animals that make up that environment - including humans.

The Wider Landscape:
For example an estuarine landscape needs to be fed by a clean meandering river, enriched by an unpolluted sea, grazed by certain livestock and managed by sympathetic landowners.  There needs to be a whole host of insects and larva in the mud-flats to feed other insects and waders in the shallow waters, which in turn feed other birds and animals in the wider landscape.

And although certain habitats are threatened by encroachment of human habitation and quad bike users for example - keeping humans out of the picture doesn’t create ongoing support for their work.

By keeping these areas a ‘people-free’ zone, they are keeping away the very people who will be able to look after them in the future - the kids.  So the RSPB are encouraging schools and youth groups to become more involved in the work that they do and in getting hands-on with the wildlife on their reserves.

Even Further Afield:
And, the RSPB know that looking even further from their habitat is essential for supporting our visiting birdlife as many species migrate here from across the globe.

There is no point making everything perfect for species A here in Norfolk and species B in Lindesfarne if they live somewhere else for 9 months of the year!  What if species A has to contend with Maltese hunters to get to Africa and species B has to fly to the dirty tar sands of Canada to breed?

How do we know they will come back next year if we don’t start to protect them around the world?  What if there is nowhere for their young to fly to in the spring?

And it’s not just UK birds that they help around the globe: they have brought tropical rainforests in Indonesia and changed fishing practices around the Antarctic!

What Can You Do?
Well, you don’t even need to spend a penny to help the RSPB with their aims!  There is plenty for you to do that is totally free or of very little cost to you.

For example, you can sign up to their newsletter online so that they can keep you informed of any activities they are organising - like their current campaign of a ‘Letter to the Future’ aiming to save our landscape for future generations to enjoy.  All you need to do is sign it and send it off!

Visiting their reserves is also a great way to show support as their visitor numbers can reflect growing interest in the ‘great outdoors’ and can help them to decide which species interest the most people and start a campaign to help it.

Also, encouraging your children and their schools to become more involved with nature will start them off in the right direction for the future.  I mean there is no point in saving habitats today if nobody wants to care for them in the future!

If you want to become a member you can do so for just £3 a month, or only pay a few pounds for entry at the few sites you visit each year.  Most of their sites are free anyway, so at least donate a few pounds each time anyway. 

I mean - if people don’t support the places they love; then they can’t expect them to be there in the future can they?

posted by admin on Aug 5

This appeal works to help save wildlife habitats in the UK.

The Details:
The Landfill Communities Fund offer funding to restore habitats - but you have to raise the first 10%.

This way if you offer £10 to the WWT, they can ‘unlock’ a further £90 from this Landfill Communities Fund - therefore turning your £1 onto £10.

However the funding is lost completely if the initial 10% isn’t raised.

Therefore the WWT are currently asking for donations for their latest fund to save and restore valuable habitats in local areas across the country.

Previous Work:
Over the past 3 years, previous campaigns have helped to raise over £100,000 - pretty impressive on it’s own - but don’t forget: this gets multiplied by 10 - so they were able to get their hands on a further £900,000 as a result.

That’s £1 million to help restore wetlands and heathland all over the UK! 

So, what did they do with all that money?  Well they had several large projects including the Great Crane Project which was featured on Springwatch and various other wildlife news reports and events.

The other successful actions were restoring wetlands at Slimbridge, saline lagoons at Washington and adding a canoe safari to their events at Martin Mere.  Also at Arundel they have started some serious work to help the water vole population on the River Arun - and pictures coming in from visitors show the results of this project!

How To Contribute:
You can help in a number of ways for this specific appeal - but with an immediate donation having the desired effect!

Belts may be tight - but think of what you would like to donate at the top of your budget - and then divide it by 10.  Basically just £1 of your money will in effect be a £10 donation, so if you would love to offer £100 but are a bit cash-strapped - then just offer £10 and you have done your best!

Obviously if your pockets are not quite so empty, then be as generous as you can and work out your total donation by adding the noughts!  If you can spare £100 - that’s £1000 in the WWT bank and so on.

Alternatively visit their website to find other ways to support them in their valuable work.

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posted by admin on Jul 30

There are hundreds of wetland birds and waders - and even avid birdwatchers don’t always get them right!

So why should you try to get them right either!  Why not get really really good at identifying the basic ones first and then if you spot something different, you can take them as they come. 

If you already know the obvious birds, you can more easily spot when something is slightly different - like knowing how to identify an adult herring gull - a very common British seabird.  Identifying this bird is very easy when you know how, but without knowing this one 100%, you could find it difficult to spot a Yellow-legged gull, which is virtually identical to the Herring gull apart from - you guessed it - the yellow legs!

And believe me - if you have stared at and identified Herring gull after Herring gull - when a Yellow-legged appears - you will definitely spot it!

So, lets look at 5 wetland birds that you can easily identify, so that you can spend more time looking for those rarer birds amongst them!

The Mute Swan - Cygnus olor
The only UK swan with a bright orange bill - and it has a knob on the top to make it extra obvious!  The other 2 common swans that are resident in the UK (the whooper and Bewicks swans) have yellow and black bills.

The Mute swan is the only one of the 3 species to nest in the country too - so if you see one on a nest or being followed by a chain of cygnets - or an older cygnet on it’s own (baby swans are grey, or patchy grey and white) - it must be a Mute!

Canada Goose - Branta canadensis
Out of all the common geese visiting the UK, the Canada goose is an obvious one.  It is a large bird and has a white strap under it’s chin on a long black neck, and a black head.  It also has a lovely pale chest and underbelly.

It looks like someone has wrapped a white neckerchief under it’s chin - although it doesn’t meet at the back.  They are a very common bird throughout the year and breed here too - so will be seen with goslings.

The Eider Duck - Somateria mollissima
This - some say ugly - duck is a spectacular species (when adult male) - and strikingly black and white.  You can’t get an eider duck wrong as they have a yellow huge bill that starts right at the top of their head on top - but the sides of it are the same colour as the face with very low nostrils.  It is a very unique profile.

Once you have seen one - you won’t ever get it wrong again - and only the 1 species is commonly found in the UK - all year on the northern coastline but only in the winter to the south of the country. I love them!

The Oystercatcher - Haematopus ostralegus
If you see a group of large black and white waders (black on top, white underneath) with a giant straight orange bill probing the sand - then it will be an oyster catcher.  These chunky birds are often seen along the tide line on many of the UK’s beaches - and they are nearly always in a small group although can be seen alone in nature reserves.

They have quite a noticeable thick beak and matching thick orange legs - slowly walking through mud or sand-flats probing their bill into the soft material. 

Avocet- Recurvirostra avosetta
This is another black and white wader, but you can’t mistake this one - and you certainly won’t get it confused with an oystercatcher!  They are mainly white all over with a black outline to it’s folded wing and a black stripe across the back of it’s head and neck - and if you can see them: blue legs!

These feisty little critters are tall dainty little things with a very noticable curved tip to it’s thin black bill - and it goes upwards!  Often seen in the wet mud or sand,  they feed by swinging their heads from side to side with the bill open and are also seen pecking at the surface.

This final species was all but extinct in the UK until recently and still found mainly in the south - and is the adopted emblem of the RSPB today!

Good Luck Twitching These 5!

posted by admin on Jul 25

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

Animal Type: Mammalia - Carnivora - Canidae

Species Info: There is only 1 Red Fox Species: Vulpes vulpes, however, there are around 12 species of true fox in the world, but there are around 24 other species with ‘fox’ in their name like the Bat-Eared Fox (Otocyon) and the Arctic Fox (Alopex). 

UK Distribution: Red Foxes are the only fox species to be living in the UK and are found almost everywhere in the country - particularly in towns and cities! 

Preferred Habitat:  These creatures are ground dwelling and generally nocturnal - although you will often see then during the day when they have young or are ill.

In urban areas they are known to be scavengers - although will take the odd unattended rabbit or chicken!  But in the countryside they need to be in areas of high rabbit density - but will eat fruit, berries and even fish and reptiles! 

In Spring: The Fox Cubs Start To Appear.
The cubs are born quite helpless underground in March, and at this time you will still see the male and female together - with the male bringing food back to the den for the female.  It is only about 4/5 weeks later that the young will start to leave the den as well and investigate their surroundings. 

In Summer:  The Cubs Are Training To Be Adults.
The cubs spend quite a while with their parents in the same area, learning to hunt by themselves and getting to explore the dangers of the area - it will be autumn before they are full size and able to head of alone.

Many people will find their garden filled with fox families at this time - much to the horror of some!  It is very difficult and time consuming to try to ‘get rid of’ a whole family, but why would you want to anyway!  They are very interesting to watch, and it is only for a few weeks

In Autumn:  Foxes Start To Split Up And Hunt Separately.
Not only will the male have been long gone by now, but the mother will be starting to get a little fed up with the young hanging around and sharing her food, so she will start to tell them off a lot more and try to get them to go away.  And this can lead to some noisy nights and short ‘fights’ between nighttime foxes.

The young will soon get the message, and you will start to see single foxes all over the place as the young head off in search of their own territory - so you can find them in some quite unusual places as they try to find an unoccupied area to live in.  The more food available means there can be more foxes living in an area, although in more rural areas, the young foxes may have to travel quite far to settle down.

In Winter: Pairing Up And Mating.
As the cold draws in foxes will have formed monogamous pairs and set up home in a large den - either freshly dug or having been improved from an existing smaller den.  Once settled, they will start mating around January which results in a lot of nighttime garden screeching!

Other Facts: Most Red Foxes have an average lifespan of about 3 years due to accidents and injury - although 12-14 is achievable in the right conditions!   Red Foxes can also be totally black (quite rare) or even almost white (very rare).

Fox Groups: 
UK - The Fox Website 
UK - League Against Cruel Sports

Other Information:
If you find a ’sick’ fox in your garden during the day, the best thing to do it to slowly approach it head on.  If it doesn’t move when you are within 2 feet of it - then it is really ill or seriously injured and you need to call a rescue centre to come and collect it.  If you don’t try to approach it, or it runs away when you do - then it will probably run away from a rescue centre operative when they arrive so will be a waste of time!

If it seems ‘ok’, then offer the fox some food (anything meaty) and fresh water, and leave it alone and with a clear exit (open gate) - as with the extra strength the food and water gave it, it may well then be strong enough to wander back to where it ’lives’ and leave your garden. 

posted by admin on Jul 20

We all get a bit hot in the warm weather - and we shed our layers and drink cold drinks.

So imagine your dog on the same hot day.  It can’t shed it’s coat or roll up it’s sleeves - and it can’t drink cool drinks or decide to stop in the shade or stay home.

So think about your dog before you take it out and watch it for signs that it is too hot.

However, there are 2 things you can do to make sure your dog never gets too hot unnecessarily and they are both very simple.

1) The Car:
Never leave your dog in a car in hot weather - even with the windows open!  You would think this piece of advice was the most obvious thing in the world - but people still do it! 

Dogs usually don’t settle when alone in the car either - making them even more stressed and so liable to heat up faster anyway.

Add this to a full furry coat and soaring temperatures inside a vehicle and you could very well have yourself a collapsed dog - or even a dead one.  Dogs really do die in hot cars - so don’t make yours suffer.

If you HAVE to drive your dog somewhere in the sunshine, have a strong breeze flowing through the car or the air con on - and plenty of water available in a non-spill bowl of course.

Equally, don’t leave your car parked in full sunshine wherever possible.  Find a tree or building to hide your car behind and/or invest in 1 or 2 of those thick window shades to keep the sun out - they work a treat!

2) Mad Dogs:
What ever possesses people to take their dogs out for a walk in the hottest part of the day (11am -2pm) is beyond me!

I can’t see any sense in taking your hairy friend out when the sun is at it’s hottest - just because we want to sit in the sun for hours - your dog certainly will have other ideas!  It would rather be at home asleep on a cold floor out of the sun!

Yes, some dogs do love to sit in the sun occasionally - but not after a long walk there and another long walk back in the sun - without a drink either!

Why not walk it earlier in te morning or later in the evening - and make it a walk for your dog, stopping and sniffing etc.  Don’t just take your dog where you want to go whenever that is.

And if you have short-nosed breeds, long-haired breeds, overweight dogs (be honest), or dogs with heart murmurs - you could be doing them more harm walking in the heat than you would if you didn’t walk them at all for the day.

If your dog is continually panting on a calm walk - it is too hot.  As dogs only ’sweat’ by panting - they will be losing water from their bodies fast!  So if your dog is drooling and panting in the sun after just walking - it could be in serious trouble. 

Stop walking, get in the shade and give your dog a big drink of water.  Don’t move on until it has fully recovered - or get a taxi home.  Why take the risk with your pets health?

Many dogs are diagnosed with heart problems in the hot weather.  It’s not that hot weather triggers heart problems - its just that people put extra stress on their dogs hearts by getting them too hot!

Cool Tricks:
Obviously, if you think that there is absolutely no way around taking them out in the hottest hours, then try some preventative steps on your journey - and take water with you at all times!

For example, make sure that you walk on the side of the road that is in shadow at the time, so your dog isn’t actually walking in the sun itself. 

Leave yourself longer to get to your destination, so that you can walk slowly and stop frequently in a shaded area to cool off part way.

Don’t be tempted to make your dog run around in any way.  Even if it usually loves chasing balls in the park - don’t ask it to do it in the boiling sun!  It will still want to chase things to please you - so don’t ask it to when it’s hot as it could easily overheat your pet!

Book an appointment to be clipped or bathed and groomed to thin out the coat.  Even short-haired dogs can benefit from a good grooming and a trim in the summer - and it could keep them that bit cooler when out on walks.

Now - go and fill up the paddling pool!

posted by admin on Jul 15

How many times have you watched a delightful and brightly coloured butterfly waft past you on a breeze?

Or sat in your garden watching a dainty little butterfly flutter between plants in your borders?

But what was it so you can tell people you saw it!

Well, there are several very common butterflies in the UK that you can learn without too much trouble to make your gardens a more interesting place!

And once you have learnt the few regular visitors to your garden - you will spot a new one when it arrives more easily - and know which key features to look out for.

Butterfly Identification:
Being aware of the general colouring and wing patterns of butterflies can help you to make a correct id.

For example, butterflies have 4 wings; 2 on each side with the uppermost segment on each side usually being the same size or larger than the rear.

They also have very different colourings on the undersides of their wings that can be quite unique - although not quite so obvious as the topside.

Most common species have a combination of spots, white or black patches or even stripes (of a kind) and it is these that can make all the difference.

For example, the small tortoiseshell and the painted lady can appear almost identical at first glance to a ‘learner’, but when you look at their fore-wings the difference is obvious:

Small Tortoiseshell:
Yellow and Black ’squares’ along the top edge with 1 terminal white square.

Painted Lady:
Only small patches of white amongst larger black patches - no neat squares at all!

Of course there are numerous other visual differences including blue edging all over the Tortoiseshells wings and dark spots on the Painted Lady’s rear wings - but the above is the most obvious feature to observe.

Why Learn Them?
Well, not only will knowing by name all the butterflies that visit your garden or live in your local woods be interesting in itself - but it can help the wider world too.

By knowing and reporting your species to specific charities and biological groups, you could help them to create butterfly distribution maps for your region and the country as a whole.

This will allow for a wider impact assessment of the areas and habitats involved.  As butterflies only frequent certain plants throughout their lives - they can be a great indicator of the state of the plants, their habitat and therefore the other animals that live in the same area.

This can be a really useful tool in trying to help local biodiversity in these changing times.

Also at the moment, Butterfly Conservation and Marks & Spencer are funding a ‘Big Butterfly Count’ at the end of July 2010 to take a quick stock of whats out there this year - and as a result have produced a fantastic colour butterfly identification guide for you to refer to.

Even if you end up not doing the count, you can still learn from the id guide about which species you should be expecting to see visiting your garden plants!

And if you want to do more to help these vital species - then visit the Butterfly Conservation Trust online and think about donating or becoming a member.

posted by admin on Jun 30

Find an event being promoted locally by your ever present, ever active veterinary nurse!

People don’t always understand the important roles played by a veterinary nurse as part of a surgery and the community.  Many think that they are only there to ‘hold an animal still’ for the vet, or to clean up any surgery ‘mess’ after an operation or toilet ‘accident’.

However, you would be quite surprised as to how much of everything that vet nurses actually do!

The Reception:
Many surgeries have their nurses on the reception desk to answer all queries as customers call in or visit on foot.  They are fully aware of how all the computer systems work and so can access all animal records to give the best information at any time.

The Practice Building:
Unless they employ an external company, the vet nurses will be responsible for all the cleaning of the waiting room, offices and kitchen areas to make sure that no unnecessary bacteria or germs are lurking around the corridors - bearing in mind most of the patients are coming in sick already!

The Surgery Itself:
All vet nurses play a huge part in all surgery activities.  Not only are they in charge of all the supplies and the equipment - they are the anaesthetists too!  They must help to assess the patient before, during and after surgery - as well as make sure that they vets themselves can operate smoothly.

The Patients:
All surgeries have kennels for the sick, injured or operated on animals of all shapes and sizes.  The nurse will need to be aware of the needs and requirements of all the species present, including rodents, birds, reptiles and larger pets too - and how to care for them when they are ill.

Many surgeries offer overnight and emergency care, so the nurses may well have to work through the night in special instances focussing all their time on particular cases and making sure that they are aware of all emergency procedures in case of any problems while the vets are not onsite. 

The Medication:
They will no doubt have to be aware of all the medications in the surgery, what they are used for, when and how long they are used for and their use by dates.  And most importantly - when to not use them!  They will need to fulfil prescriptions from the vet and regular patients as well as make sure that enough supplies are kept on site.

Ongoing Training:
Most vet nurses will also be studying for further qualifications - and many vet nurses are in training on site (stripy green and white top means they are in training - solid green means qualified).  But also all qualified nurses still wish to improve their skills and take on a specialism or 2 depending on the surgery they work in.

Additional Activities:
Many surgeries will also offer non-illness related events on site, like puppy parties, weight loss clinics and other specifics.  They need to organise and advertise all these events themselves and learn all the new skills required to offer such advice.

They will no doubt also be responsible to the information and decoration of the waiting room notice boards - targeting the most relevant events to their clients or due to the time of year - like bonfire night problems and obesity or rabbit vaccinations etc.

Many vet nurses offer their skills to charity abroad, like neutering programs in South America or vaccination schemes in Africa - it’s not all puppies and bunnies! And, no doubt many are now using their skills to improve their company website too.

So, never under-estimate your local vet nurse when you see her cleaning the floor or bringing you a worming tablet - without them, your surgery would not function for more than 5 minutes!

posted by admin on Jun 25

Have you been up to anything this week - or is this the first you have heard of it?

As part of the National Year of Biodiversity - there is hope that the creepy crawlies will get a look in too!  Not just the little furry ones and the pretty birds!

Spurred on by the ever charismatic and slightly nerdy Chris Packham, why don’t you give insects a chance?  I have started to learn a bit more about the insects around us as I know that they are an essential and amazing part of the ecosystem.

I can now identify around 10 different butterfly species, about 5 moths - as well as the plants that they feed on and those that their young eat.  And I am getting some really great photos along the way!

So now - just like you - I can learn more about other groups of insects from this fact-filled site and all the related links and events.    

Insect Fun & Facts:
This section allows you to read about the tallest, shortest, heaviest, tiniest ad all those record breakers in the insect world - as well as allowing you to make a giant dragonfly yourself!

Insect Garden:
This section is all about making your average garden more attractive the the right kind of insects - both for natural organic pest control, pollination and pure beauty!

Insect Index:
Here you can follow the descriptions and links to find out exactly what type of bug it was that you found near the pond or under a stone - with some great pictures too!

Insect Resources:
Here is the best part of the site.  It is a page totally filled with links and resources to get you started in the insect world - or to carry on from where you are.  It’s a long page!

Insect Events:
There is an extensive listing of minibeast events across the country divided into counties.  I found 2 literally just up the road from me and the WWT centre - so I’m sure you will find one near you too!

Insect Surveys:
Whether it’s the Painted Lady Butterfly Watch or the Great Stag Beetle Hunt, you can take part in these surveys to make sure that our tiny wildlife is kept on top form.  Just follow the links to get started making a difference!

Anything from this website you take on board will make a huge difference to our native wildlife - and could be the difference between extinction and population explosion!

posted by admin on Jun 15

There are many many birds that look a little bit like each other - and therefore not easy to tell apart.

Unless you are a birdwatching expert and can spot the little signs, you won’t know what they are before they have flown off and you’ll never be sure.

But there are 5 birds that you can definitely tell apart from all others in the quickest of flashes - there is no mistaking them.  Honest!

So, here is a description of each one and what makes them so easy to identify.

The Kestrel - (Falco tinnunculus) : Small raptor - seen hovering at the side of the road.

This bird is the only one in the UK that can hover in the exact same space for what seems like ages!  Some birds like buzzards and crows can ‘float’ in the sky on a breeze, but the kestrel is the only one that stays on the spot.

Now, you will normally see these birds at the side of the road as you drive by, but you can see them in fields and other rural areas if you know what you are looking for. 

The Swallow - (Hirundo rustica) : Small dark bird with long double tail - seen high in the sky in summer. 

This bird is one of several high soaring birds that catch insects in flight - the others being swifts and house martins.  But the swallow is the only one with really long, very noticeable ribbon feathers coming off the ends of it’s very forked tail. 

No need to worry about whether it’s got curved wings or a white rump - just look for the trailing feathers in the summer sky - and it’s a swallow! 2 syllables: 2 tails! Easy. 

The Kingfisher - (Alcedo atthis) : Very small bright blue bird - Very Blue - seen near rivers and streams.

This is virtually the only ‘flash of blue’ that you will see in the UK - especially if you are near a river, canal or flowing stream.  Other birds can be blue - but if it is an amazing flash of the brightest blue you have ever seen in nature - then it will be a kingfisher I’m sure!

If you are very lucky, you might see it sitting on a branch staring into the water - and very, very lucky to see it plunge headfirst into the water before emerging seconds later with a tiny fish in it’s over-sized bill.

Red Kite - (Milvus mivus) : Huge soaring raptor in cities and countryside - obvious forked tail.

This majestic large raptor has made a fantastic come back in the UK over the past decades, and can be seen in countryside and towns - I recently saw one scavenging in the car park of a huge industrial park in Reading - I was less than 50 metres away of it standing on the ground!

These huge birds can be told apart from other large soaring raptors (such as buzzards) very easily as they have a clearly forked tail.  They also glide quite low when searching for food and are common along roads and open fields.

Green Woodpecker - (Picus viridis) : Noisy ground feeding bright green bird - flies in an undulating pattern.

Often seen flying away after you approached them, they are a green bullet with flashes of red.  When flying off, they go up and down like they are on the top of a wave. 

Usually heard making a loud repetitive shrill noise as they depart into nearby trees - you can’t mistake them.  There are several black and white woodpeckers in the UK - but only one green one!

See if you can spot all 5 before the end of the month!

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!