Fantastic bats

This week I saw a presentation about bats by local expert Patty Briggs. It was a fascinating talk - she dispelled some of the myths about bats and explained how they use echolocation to find insects in the dark. She even had a couple of bats to show us - a couple of pipistrelles and a long eared. These were disabled bats - you're not allowed to keep them unless you are specially qualified.

There are seventeen species of bats in Britain, the most common being the pipistrelle and they could be nesting in your home. However, all bats are protected because they are declining in numbers. You can quite happily fit two pipistrelles inside a match box they are that small but each night they can eat up to 3000 flying insects so they're great to have around. They can fit through a gap just 8mm wide and they don't like roosting in a draught, so the eaves of your house may be the perfect place for them.

Female bats gather in maternity colonies and there can be up to 150 in a tiny area. If the hole to the colony gets blocked up by a builder who doesn't know to look out for bats then a whole local population can be wiped out in an instant. If you're planning any major structural work on your house, such as a loft conversion, make sure you contact the Bat Conservation Trust first. They can help you check your house out for bats before the work and help you do the work with the least disturbance to the bats.

You can use a bat detector to listen to bats as they echo-locate their food. Or, you could join a bat walk. Look in the local papers or contact your local wildlife trust to see if they're running one in your area. You can even provide a place for bats by putting up a bat box.