Long eared bat mishaps

Queen bee · #1 (**permalink**) 01-09-2008, 07:27 PM

This August, we've had some very close encounters with long-eared bats.
Roughly three weeks ago, my grandad hung out the mat that we use for the dog to sit on (he has his own mouldy old sofa that he sleeps on). He brought it in again and put it back, and a few hours later, my older brother suddenly spotted a bat sitting on it. When I got home, I rushed in to take a look, and identified it (well, it wasn't hard! It tells you its name as soon as you look at it!) We took a few photos with a webcam (holding it on a cushion so we wouldn't hurt its delicate little bones). Afterwards, we took it out into the porch and gently guided it onto something we thought it could grip onto: the mophead... which it snubbed by climbing onto the wall where it clung upside down looking very pleased with itself. By the next day it had flown away.

This week, my mum came in from mowing the lawn to tell me that there was a bat hanging from the outside garage wall. I didn't realise it was a long-eared as it was sitting on its ears, until they sprung up a few days later. A couple of days ago I woke up to find it wasn't there any more, and we assumed it had gone back to the colony. However, on Saturday: sad news. I found its body on the path. I had a closer look and found it was male, but I couldn't see any sign of injury at all. Perhaps it was ill so it had been pushed out of the colony? (and yes, I washed my hands after touching it)
So yes, there are still questions I don't know the answers to.

Rob_D · #2 (**permalink**) 02-09-2008, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Queen bee

I didn't realise it was a long-eared as it was sitting on its ears, until they sprung up a few days later.

Must've been nice to see one close up and in the daylight as LE Bats are supposed to be very nocturnal, but sorry to hear of it's death. I don't know much about bats, but I understood the summer roosts are normally female/young only before the start of mating in the Autumn. Could this have been a young male dispersing?

I still am trying to imagine a bat sitting on it's ears though!

Jim Ford · #3 (**permalink**) 02-09-2008, 04:39 PM

Here's a Long-Eared Bat hibernating in an old air raid shelter:

I understand that what you can see as 'ears' are in fact the inner part - the actual 'long ears' being folded back (to stop them freezing?).

Jim

thunder · #4 (**permalink**) 02-09-2008, 09:02 PM

Yes, the shortish narrow lobes are the traguses. You can just see the ear tucked under the forearm on the left hand side of the picture, Suspect it is mainly to keep them out of the way and reduce water loss.

henrya

Queen bee · #5 (**permalink**) 07-09-2008, 07:18 PM

My dad says he's found yet another dead bat under a windowsill. This sounds like it's getting nastier... I should think the awful summer has hit them hard...

Queen bee · #6 (**permalink**) 08-09-2008, 10:19 PM

Sorry for yet another doubler, but my dad sent an email to the Bats Trust and this is the reply:
Dear John,

Thanks for your email.

It is a little concerning that so many long-eareds have been found in your area in odd places. It does sound like it could be a result of bad weather as many bats will either not fly at night if it’s raining/windy, resulting in a lack of food, or get caught up in the wind and rain and blown ‘off-course’. We can only hope the weather improves a bit as they will need plenty of food for the coming hibernation months.

The other possibility is that a nearby roost has been disturbed, causing the bats to have flown off. Are you aware of any building works in the area which may have caused this?

Should anymore been found in odd places it would be fantastic if you could contain them in a box by carefully picking them up with a pair of gloves on, to avoid the risk of any bites or scratches, and keep them here with a cloth such as a teatowel and a small amount of water in a milk-bottle top or similar. This will ensure that they don’t get dehydrated and are out of the way of any predators. If you could then release them at dusk by placing the box on a wall or tree branch and keeping an eye on them for about 15 minutes to be sure they fly off, then they should find their way back to the roost. If you are concerned any look unhealthy or injured please give us a call on 0845 1300 228 and we can give you some local bat carer contact numbers who may be able to come and collect them and check for any injuries and provide care if necessary.

If you have anymore queries please feel free to contact us again by email or on our helpline.