News

New Home for Brown Long-Eared Bats

Brown long-eared bats can now benefit from a new night-time feeding roost that has been installed on site this month. The bat house was designed to replace a feeding roost due to be lost to development. The bat house was designed at PAA, based upon the suggestions offered in The Lesser Horseshoe Bats Conservation Handbook (Schofield 2008) and our experience with the species. It was built by a joiner local to the site.

Many UK bats such as pipistrelles feed upon tiny insects such as midges, which can be gulped down whole. However, brown long-eared bats are one of several species that feed upon larger prey such as moths. They catch these in flight and then perch somewhere accessible, safe and sheltered to consume them. The primary purpose of this bat house was to provide a suitable feeding perch, but additional features that could be used for daytime roosting have also been included such as internal batons and gaps at the eaves.

Not quite ‘Batsworth’ (see previous news item) but it is hoped that bats flying along the adjacent stream and hedgerow (found to be favoured during surveys) will find this new shelter and continue to use the habitats on site after the development is complete.

PAA offers a full range of consultant expertise relating to ecological assessments and mitigation, including protected species – please contact us for more information, or feel free to download one of our relevant fliers below:

Bats and Development
Birds and Development
Great Crested Newt and Development
Animals – Protected Species and Development