Talking the bat walk

>

A common pipistrelle on the wing -- as seen in Regent's Park

(image: Hugh Clark)

BCT's Biodiversity Officer Lisa Hundt helped lead last week's bat walk in Regent's Park -- and did a brilliant job, we might add. Here she reveals her heretofore unknown weakness for red liquorice laces and explains why happy, healthy bats are good for the environment and us, too!

How many bats did you see?
I would say that for the first 15 minutes I could count exactly how many; it was three and I spent that entire time biting my nails wondering if they were going to desert us in our hour of need! Once we got down to the lake there were so many bats looping around foraging that it was difficult to tell, as the same bat will pass by a number of times. I would make a guess at about 40 to 60.

Drawing on your extensive and expert knowledge, what species were they likely to be?
I am slightly intimidated by the words ‘extensive’ and ‘expert’, it might be digging me a hole! The two main species of bats we saw were soprano pipistrelle and common pipistrelle bats. They were the bats that were foraging by the lake, often flying in quite close in what looks like an erratic manner, but they know what they are doing. The other species noted was a noctule bat, which has a slower call. This one was heard by the lake and along the path on the way back.

Judging by their enthusiastic loops and twirls, the bats in Regent’s Park seem pretty healthy and happy. Would you agree? And what does that mean for us humans?
Yes, the bats did seem on form that night. They were making the most of the good weather and stocking up on food in preparation for the inevitable periods within the British summer when the weather turns and there aren’t as many insects for them to feed on.

Bats are great indicators of a healthy environment, which means that if they are happy and healthy, then the environment that we live in is happy and healthy too. This is why it is so important to preserve areas they use. That way we preserve the environment for us to enjoy and for all the other species that live there as well.

Walk highlight?
Getting to the lake to see the pipistrelles foraging.

Walk lowpoint?
Not being able to take a cheese plate with us!

If people are interested in going on a bat walk, what should they do?
If you are interested in learning more about bats and going on a bat walk the best place to start is by contacting your local bat group who will often organise events over the summer. Look on the BCT website to find your nearest group.

Would you like to make a bat walk shout-out?
Bat walk shout out goes to Jenny Clark and her bats. Brilliant!

You’ve only been with us for a few weeks – how’re you finding it so far? Maybe you could tell us a little about what you do at BCT?
My role at BCT involves a bit of everything; lobbying, commenting on consultations for draft policy, working with Natural England and other organisations on initiatives such as the Biodiversity Action Plans (BAP), drafting guidance documents, as well as supporting BCT projects. I am finding working for BCT interesting, fun and rewarding -- as you can tell I am still at the point where I am full of enthusiasm, which I hope will continue.

Anything else you’d like to add?
Something you might not know about me: I am a PADI dive master and have a weakness for red liquorice laces.

Regent's Park bat walk extravaganza!

This the route we took (pretty much) for last night's bat walk in Regent's Park. The weather was perfect and there were lots of bats about. It's great to know they're still whizzing about the skies of London, if you look carefully enough.

Special thanks to all our supporters, especially the Regent's Park crew who provided the venue.

More on the walk soon!

Preparing our defences against a deadly threat to bats

Little brown bats with WNS in New York

(image: N Heaslip)

We're really worried here at BCT by the spread of White-nose Syndrome (WNS), the mysterious condition that has killed literally hundreds of thousands of bats in the northeastern US.

Here's how Bat Conservation International's Annual Report 2007 - 2008 described the situation:

‘Emaciated bat carcasses literally piled up in the snow outside hibernation caves in the northeastern United States last winter, imposing an almost desperate urgency on scientific efforts to solve the mystery of White-nose Syndrome – perhaps the worst ever threat faced by North American bats. [T]housands of bats died of this unexplained malady… with mortality rates exceeding 90 percent report at some hibernation caves. Whole species are at risk, and the danger of WNS spreading to other regions is unclear.’

First confirmed in bat colonies in New York in 2006, WNS had spread to Vermont, Connecticut and Massachusetts by 2008. So far this year it's already been found in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

No conclusive evidence of WNS has been found in the UK or mainland Europe but a number of cases of dead bats with fungal growths similar to the tell-tale signs of WNS have focussed concerns. What would happen if WNS was found here or in wider Europe? It could have a devastating impact.

So what are we doing about it? BCT has developed WNS guidelines for bat workers and other users of hibernation sites in the UK and wider Europe. Plus, we're working to raise awareness and encourage vigilance amongst the public. Now there's an urgent need to develop and implement a WNS surveillance programme, as well as formulate plans to ensure a rapid and coordinated response to WNS in the event that it is discovered in this part of the world.

You can find out more about WNS and what we're doing about it on our website. If you're able to make a donation to support this work, please donate online. Your support, no matter how large or small, will make a difference.

While bats sleep our NBMP team are hard at work

Hard to spot: a sleepy looking Daubenton's bat peers out from a crevice

(image: John Altringham)

Right now it's certainly a quiet time for bats, writes Sarah Ford of BCT's National Bat Monitoring Team. They’re currently in hibernation and licensed surveyors have been busy visiting hibernation sites over the last couple of months.

The surveyors' results are starting to come in so we’ll soon have an idea of how many bats and which species have been spotted. The most commonly encountered species in hibernation sites are Natterer’s bats, Daubenton’s bats, lesser horseshoe bats and brown long-eared bats. Rare species found include barbastelles, Bechstein’s bats and the UK’s one and only greater mouse-eared bat!

The UK’s most common species, the pipistrelles, are conspicuous by their virtual absence, as they tend to roost in nooks and crannies in trees and buildings rather than open structures that surveyors are able to explore. It’s not always an easy task finding the bats as they tend to hide away in tiny gaps and crevices, making them very difficult to spot!

Unfortunately, this quiet period for bats doesn’t quite translate into quiet time for the NBMP team! We’ve been using this time to compile our survey results from 2008 in order to produce bat trends for the UK. It’s also the build up to the busy summer survey season so we’re in the process of speaking to volunteers and confirming which surveys they’re interested in taking part in. We’ll soon be preparing the survey packs, and making sure everything is in place for the summer.

The only thing we can’t prepare for is the weather, so fingers crossed that it’s sunny and dry this year!

If you’re interested in taking part in an NBMP survey this summer please contact me or visit our website for more information. You can also see survey and species maps for our 2007 and 2008 results, all thanks to our many volunteers.

Yay -- fans!

It's really great to see people becoming 'fans' of our Facebook page. After a few days of trundling along with just two fans (that would be Neil and Steve, the enthusiastic duo comprising BCT's communications and membership team), we're now at 76 fans -- and counting! If you're a fan, not only are you a star, you're also helping to spread the word. And if you're not a fan yet, could you become one, pretty please? Our mission is to build a happy thriving community of bat-friendly people.

Thanks!

PS. You can find our Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bat-Conservation-Trust/61956872921

On bat crime and budgets

A cluster of brown long-eared bats in a roof void

(image: Hugh Clark)

Yesterday I attended the annual Partnership Against Wildlife Crime conference, writes BCT Chief Executive Amy Coyte.

BCT is delighted that bats remain a priority for the police in terms of wildlife crime – this is much needed given the level of crime reported by our Investigations Project and thanks to the excellent partnership work between the police, bat workers, government agencies and our investigations officer.

The minister's address (Huw Iranca-Davies) was heartening in that he is clearly committed to tackling the high level of crime against our wildlife. However this commitment is yet to be seen in terms of the action which might follow it. RSPB highlighted the fact that the previous Scottish Environment minister’s interest in this area has enabled Scotland to put together a well-backed strategy which is currently being implemented and in which we all have high hopes. The question is, can such energy be galvanised in England and Wales? The minister’s reply was once again hopeful.

It was great to see so many Wildlife Crime Officers present at the conference but they expressed their concern about the low priority given to wildlife crime by the police force. The winner of the WWF Wildlife Enforcer Officer Award clearly felt that he would not be able to keep his interest in wildlife crime if he was to be promoted within the force. This does not bode well for the excellent work carried out throughout the country by these police officers.

I came away from the conference with the question -- how can enforcement of our wildlife legislation act as a deterrent when the fines given out in sentencing are so small? Developers continue to ignore the law and their action results in the direct persecution of bats. Currently fines are less then the costs of an ecological consultant and mitigation measures.

BCT will continue to prioritise raising awareness and training to prevent crimes occurring in the first place, although it is clear we could all do more to address the cases that continue to arise. And as always the great challenge is capacity. I look forward to talking to the BCT team and to batworkers throughout the UK to establish where our energies our best placed in the field of wildlife crime. What can we do best with the extremely limited resources we have available to us?

On that note, today I am concentrating on our budgets for the financial year ahead!

Looking for widgets

Know anyone who'd be able to help us build a batty Facebook widget to spread the word about BCT? Please drop us a line!

We're hoping such expertise won't be as hard to find as Britain's most elusive bat, the Bechstein's (although we're working on that).

(Bechstein's bats: John Altringham)