Bats

dynamic - By fosh_admin on Wednesday, June 2, 2010 - 20:31

On the evening of 22nd September 2009, a survey of Sharphill Wood for bats was carried out by the Friends supported by NWT staff who are members of South Notts Bat Group. The weather was a little cool and windy, which will influence the surveys as sometimes bats choose not to emerge from their roosts to feed if the weather is cold, windy or raining. However, the survey did reveal the presence of 3 species of bat using the wood

• Noctule (Nyctalus noctula)
• Common Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus)
• Soprano Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pygmaeus)

Go to South Notts Bat Group’s website for more information on each of these bats and on bats in general. The bats we saw emerged from the wood as the evening went on and will therefore be living in holes, cracks, splits and behind flaking bark of mature trees within the wood. Their presence demonstrates how important it is to ensure that standing dead wood and damaged trees i.e. trees with torn or cracked limbs and trunks are retained in the woodland, where safe, to provide roosting habitat for bats. Previous surveys of Sharphill Wood and the surrounding land have also shown Brown Long-eared bats to be using the wood. Gaynor Jenkins - Notts Wildlife Trust The Bat Conservation Trust have lots more information about these little bats including pictures and sounds