Let’s face it- Bats don’t get portrayed as the friendliest or sweetest mammal out there. The film industry has always vilified them as vampires- small creatures that live in caves, hang upside down and suck you’re blood until you look like a prune. If they wanted to transform into a human with long fangs, sporting a black cape and with abnormally white skin-I’m sure they could right?
No- once again as with so many of the animals we feature here- they are misunderstood and really truly special. First off, for any of you bat phobic people out there, just relax- they don’t suck you’re blood. In fact there is only one species of
bat conveniently called “the vampire bat” which drinks blood and they live in the tropics of Mexico and America so you’re quite safe here. So to the real facts- not many people think about bats when they think of English wildlife but they are very much a big part of it. Bats have been recorded living in England for as far back as Norman times hence why so many folk stories have been based on them. Unfortunately in the past, many
nocturnal animals were considered to be on the side of the devil because they only came out under the cover of darkness but thankfully we know better.
In the United Kingdom we have a staggering 17 species of bat currently recorded. Around our area- the most common types of bat are the Pipistrelle bat and the Noctule bat. We often see these species during the summer months when they swoop and dive above our gardens at sunset, catching all the moths and winged bugs for their dinner. They love mild nights and it is likely that if you go for a wonder around the church yard,
devils dike or coppers green, where there’s plenty of tree’s, that you will see one. Blink and you’ll miss them, their extremely agile and are often mistaken for large moths or small birds. If you’re lucky enough to have a mature wooded garden – you’ll probably see them right above you’re heads, though bats are very shy and reclusive and will never ever approach a human in flight.
How to tell the difference?- Well Pipistrelle bats have tiny bodies, short hind legs and yellowy brown belly’s, where as Noctule bats have slightly bigger bodies and have a smooth chocolate brown coat. Both of these species have a similar habitat of typically living in small colonies high in tree’s or in eaves of rocks, sometimes in barns and abandoned buildings as well-they only need a 13mm gap to access harbourage which
is pretty impressive. Bats along with Door mice and Field mice are the smallest mammals we have in Britain- they hibernate during the winter months and feed during the summer months- normally mating during early spring. Bats on average will only produce one or two pups per pairing and feed the baby bats on their mother’s
milk. Their diets mainly consist of moths, flying beetles and small flies and a recent survey carried out by the bats protection group found that a Pipistrelle bat can consume around 3,000 insects in a single night.
Now I couldn’t talk about bats and not mention the term- Echo-Location. Bats are small delicate mammals. They have paper thin translucent wings and their eye sight is extremely poor with some of them close to being blind which is not ideal when you hunt for food in the dark. But they do have a skill that only a hand full of mammals worldwide have!- Echo location works together with the bats huge over sized ears that are shaped like cones and covered in fine hairs so that sound can travel straight to them. The bats make a low guttural vibration which to us with less sensitive hearing wouldn’t even be audible. The sound waves they create bounce back to them, deflecting off any objects or flying objects such as moths. The bats can then create a detailed night vision plan of exactly where their prey is flying and by using this they can catch their prey swiftly and with precision. It’s this skill that bats have that was studied by scientists and from that the ultrasound scanner was born which works in the same way- with the vibrations bouncing off organs and body tissue.
So really we have a lot to thank our little bat friends for.
The only time you may see a bat up close is if they are injured- it’s not uncommon to find a bat suffering with a head injury. If you do- handle them with care as they are very fragile and easily hurt- call your local wildlife rescue and they will be able to advice you about bringing the bat to them. If you want to see more bats in your garden- plant some trees. Bats love trees and anything that will give them shelter- You can also now
buy bat boxes in good garden centres or online. You have to be patient with bat boxes as it can take years sometime for bats to move in but it is a good way of providing them with a home especially when like many of our British wildlife, they too are dealing with lose of habit as more woods are cut down and old barns are knocked down.
Please make a home for Bats and if you were a bat phobic, I hope this article has now
converted you. They really are so special and not mini vampires at all! Keep batting on.
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