Among the many creatures enjoying the start spring, and the abundance of renewed life it brings, is the Bat.

Bats make up nearly a quarter of all living mammals in the world, but according to the Bat Conservation Trust in the UK bat numbers have been in decline over the last century, in part to to human impacts on their habitats.

To support bats in Chelmsford,  bat boxes have been installed in a number of City Parks open spaces and Local Nature Reserves over the last few years. Recently our licensed Hybrid-Ecologists have been monitoring some of these bat boxes to see what’s calling them home. Take a peak at the short clip below which shows what the ecologists saw when they checked one of these boxes.

The bats that are cosily tucked up in the clip above are Pipistrelles. A Common Pipistrelle, as its name may suggest, is one of the most Common bats found in the UK, and they can eat up to 3000 insects a night!

All bats in the UK eat insects, by supporting insect friendly habitats such as ponds, longer grasses, hedgerows and meadows, or even man made bug hotels, we can all help these fascinating creatures find a Space to Thrive.

Image above: Common pipistrelle from a bat box in one of Chelmsford City Parks Local Nature Reserves.

Bat in focus – Pipistrelle

• The Pipistrelle bats are thought to be the most common type of bats found in the UK – including right here in Chelmsford
• The common pipistrelle has a wingspan of around 22cm
• Pipistrelles normally eat insects while in flight
• During the spring/summer breeding season, females live away from males to form nursing colonies
• In the UK, Pipistrelles tends to hibernate between November and March

Bat Bodies

• Bats are mammalian (and distantly related to humans), they have a spine (vertebrates) and can grow hair (fur)
• Bats have fantastic body temperature controls, and try to keep their body temperature constant in any environment
• Bats have a thumb (which looks like a hook), long “fingers” (digits), and a tail, which are all connected to their body by a flexible membrane to form their wings
• Bats are not blind, but do have a great sense of hearing, they can use alongside echolocation, to navigate in the dark

Bat homes

• Bat live in groups known as colonies, which can can vary in numbers.
• Bats like to live in warm, cool dry spaces, like trees holes or dry caves. They may even set up home alongside humans, in buildings behind roof tiles, or in man-made bat boxes like those in the clip above.
• May, June and July are the most important months in the breeding season for UK Bats. During this time females may set up nursery colonies, away from the male bats, before giving birth to a pup (baby bat).
• All bats in the UK feed on insects, setting up homes near where they can access food is important.

The clip below shows some bats on the hunt for food over their local pond at night.

Bats and the Law

• you can not deliberately capture, injure or kill a bat
• you can not recklessly disturb a bat or its resting place
  • including investigating bat boxes, without an approved licence an permission from the land owner
• you can find out more about bats and the law here: Bats: protection and licences – GOV.UK 

What to do if you have concerns about a Bat

• Contact the  National Bat Helpline – Our Work – Bat Conservation Trust 

Discover more ways to support bats at the Bat Conservation Trust, or join a local Conservation group to support habitats that are important to bats.