Where are the bats?

[Monika]

We usually have many pipistrelles around the house and are worried that, at the moment, we are hardly seeing any. Until two days ago, it has been dry, rather cool and very windy (around Skipton, North Yorkshire). Will the numbers recover?

[Dogghound]

Hi Monika, some of us have noticed this as well and it is currently under discussion on this thread.

Bat of the Day!

Most people I have spoke to (including myself) seem to be of the opinion that this years harsh winter has had an impact on bat numbers. I have been conducting surveys throughout yorkshire (and nationaly) this spring/summer and have found pipistrelles in particular common pipistrelle to be at much lower levels than previous years. I feel a combination of factors influenced by the winter and spring has impacted upon this specie.

Common pipistrelle are very adaptable although like other bats have a slow reproductive rate but if winters settle down numbers should increase again.

[Monika]

Many thanks, Dogghound. I do hope that some have survived and their numbers will increase again over the years. We lost our Daubentons bats a few years ago when a road bridge over the beck in the village was rebuilt and I would hate to lose the pipistrelles as well. Thirty years ago when we moved here, there would be dozens of bats on summer evenings but now they are really scarce in spite of the fact that many bat boxes were put up in several locations.

This early summer, there has been a noticeable drop in moths as well, so, no doubt, this has contributed to the fall in bat numbers.

[Dogghound]

Originally Posted by Monika

We lost our Daubentons bats a few years ago when a road bridge over the beck in the village was rebuilt and I would hate to lose the pipistrelles as well. Thirty years ago when we moved here, there would be dozens of bats on summer evenings but now they are really scarce in spite of the fact that many bat boxes were put up in several locations.

Did they provide any mitigation measures?

[The Woodman]

Hi Monika

Can you tell us what river system your beck is on?

[Monika]

Our beck joins the river Aire at Skipton.

As far as I know, when the bridge was rebuilt approximately 15 years ago, no bat survey/rescue was carried out. Much more recently, when an old mill was replaced by modern houses in the village, the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority insisted on the developers putting up a number of bat boxes although a survey indicated that there were no bat roosts in the old buildings.

[The Woodman]

Yes, you're right about the timing. Around fifteen years ago there was little consideration about bridge bat roosts although concern was being raised by those with an interest in such matters. I was looking at bridges over watercourses prior to that time and recording roost data but it was personal interest rather than a survey with a purpose.

I think I'm right in saying that Cumbria was the first county to commission a full Council owned bridge survey and that was done by two individual contractors and published in 1996.

It was spurred by the loss of two bridge roosts destroyed by maintenance work and the case reached a high level but never went to court.

You will have someone in your area who looks at the ecology of bridges scheduled for work, nesting birds, bats, otter will be accounted for. If you are interested, a call to your highways dept. engineer will discover who it is.

The Highways Agency have their own ecologists but sometimes draft in specialist help with bats and other species on trunk roads and motorways which they are responsible for.

The YDNPA requirement for bat boxes at a development site is interesting. I would have liked to have seen the decision notice and the reason for this request/condition.

[The Woodman]

I was told this morning that a large 55 pip roost where I've counted over 800 is down to just 9 counted two weeks ago!

The same bat worker told me that another roost of 250 had just been counted at over 300 (Ican't remember the exact numbers).

So it seems that some a re down and some are up in numbers. The picture may become clearer when the colony counts have been completed.

[Monika]

Just a quick response about the YDNPA requirement of bat boxes: there was much opposition to the new developments in the village, particularly as the site abuts the village 2 acre nature reserve where we already had bat boxes. I think the YDNPA tried to assuage people's worries about the effect of the buildings on local wildlife and stipulated a number of rather sensible requirements just to keep us protesters quiet!

[witham]

I feel almost embarrassed to mention our little flockette, we usually have three or four pips flying about the garden in the evening but this year have only seen two but last night we had one on its own zooming about quite a bit smaller than the other two, will it be a young one