Bats.Can you give me some suggestions please?

[scipio]

On our recent visit to the "Burren in Bloom" (Ireland) month we went to a "Bats in the Burren" talk followed by a bat walk.
I am now convinced that the most common bat in our garden is the Pipistrelle. However about half an hour after we see a few Pipistrelles circling around at about 10m altitude we then see a much bigger bat who flies a lot lower (say 2-5m) with a considerably slower wingbeat. If I had to describe it I would liken it to a blackbird. It doesn't flitter like a Pipistrelle but flies far more directly. It also often flies along the line of houses but we only ever see Pipistrelles in the bottom of the garden. We have seen it for a good number of years (only ever one at a time) and christened it the "fat bat" so that we could point it out to visitors etc. I now getting embarrased and feel the need to narrow the options down. I would be grateful for any suggestions so that when I borrow/buy a bat detector I might have some clue what I am looking for.
As background we live south of Winchester on sandy soil and we have many Silver Birches and Oaks in the garden and in the surrounding gardens. There is no open water in the immediate vicinity.
I appreciate this is not enough info to identify it but some pointers would be a great help to a complete novice in the bat world. Thanks

[thunder]

Possibly Long-eared, in which case it'll be hard to pick up on the detector, Does it fly round the bushes and trees?

henrya

[scipio]

Thunder
Thanks for the reply. I wouldn't say it flies around the bushes and trees. It is most often seen in the part of our garden nearest the house which is the most open bit so it can fly fairly direct paths without having to avoid anything (apart from me wandering about)! In contrast the Pipistrelles always fly in the same clearing in the bottom of the garden, the most wooded bit. It is almost if "fat bat" can 'acquire' relatively slow moving targets at some distance and does not have to change its flightpath to intercept them.

[nightshade]

Hello Scipio,there are seven Bats in Ireland(your location would help narrow it down)
Leislers,Lesser Horseshoe,Daubentons,Whiskered,Pipistrelle,Nattere rs, Long Eared

The type of flight is that of both Long Eared and Natterers,emergence times are similar
so it could be either a Bat Detector would help an identification

I have started a Bat Guide for the site which Henrya is currently looking over to add his
comments to,so watch this site