News
Developers
prosecuted for destruction of a bat roost.
In October 2009 a developer and a demolition company were found guilty
at Colchester Magistrates Court of destroying a bat roost.
Hills Residential Construction was fined £2,000 with £115 costs and
North East Demolition UK was fined £1,500 with £115 costs for
committing an offence under the Conservation (Natural Habitats etc) Regulations
1994; namely destroying a breeding site or resting place of brown long-eared
bats at Blue Barn Farm, Elmstead Market.
Prior to the offence taking place, a bat survey had been undertaken as part of
a proposal to re-develop an agricultural outbuilding at the site.
John Dobson, who carried out the survey, sent us the following account for
inclusion on the Website:
In September 2006, I conducted a bat survey on a barn at Elmstead Market
in north east Essex and found droppings and feeding remains consistent with the
building being used by brown long-eared bats. At first sight, the building was
a large contemporary grain store but a small timber-framed barn had been
adsorbed into the south west corner of the structure, with access to the barn
being achieved by walking through the grain store. The report recommended
further surveys to determine the bat population involved and said that a
European Protected Species Licence would be required. An exchange of emails
that autumn with the architect showed possible mitigation options, with new
roosts being sited in roof voids.
In June 2008, I drove past the site and found that the barn had been
demolished. Neither Natural Eenglands licensing department, nor the local
authority, had any evidence that a licence had been obtained and I reported the
incident to the police.
Rare Bat released back into the wild Please click
HERE for more info.
BAD ADVICE COSTS LIVES
EBG CALLS FOR A CHANGE IN ADVICE GIVEN
Too frequently this Summer we have spoken to people who are concerned about
bats that are grounded and have been advised to leave the bats out at night to
see if they will fly off. Surely if they are grounded they are in need of help?
We can't expect the general public to be able to determine what is wrong or to
assess a bats health and weight.
To leave them till the evening and then put them outside causes problems:-
i) It allows a bat that is likely to be compromised to be left for too long a
time - the longer they go without assistance the less chance there is to save
them.
ii) It puts the bat at risk from cats and birds. What may begin as a lethargic
bat can soon become an injured or dead bat.
In Essex this advice is wrong. I think I can speak for us all on the 'rescue'
side when I say we would rather pick up more bats earlier and give them a
better chance of survival than ask people to follow this advice. Also, from the
people that I have spoken to - they are very uncomfortable in following that
advice.
We have to take into account the public feeling and perception of us and our
work. I have spoken to two different people in the last month who have been in
tears at the distress they feel they have caused a grounded bat by following
the advice given to them to leave the bat outside at dusk to see if it will
fly. I even spoke to one lady who felt terrorised by her local bat group.
Here in Essex we respond immediately to calls at any time of day or night and
the public can be assured that they will receive swift, knowledgeable advice
and assistance from beginning to end. This obviously puts more of a strain on
us and our resources but at least we can be sure that we are doing the very
best we can to help the Essex bat population. |
From our foreign correspondent.
Kim Wallis.. took this photograph whilst dining alfresco on Bay Island of
Utila, off the coast.. of Honduras. The bat was feeding on nectar at a
hummingbird feeding station at a restaurant...
It is a Pallass Long-toungued Bat (Glossophaga Soticinia ),.. a species
that occurs from Mexico south to northern.. Argentina. It has a long tongue
with a brush-like tip for.. reaching into flowers and extracting nectar... This
bat is notable for its role as an important pollinator.. of certain trees and
for having the fastest metabolism.. ever recorded in a mammal. In fact, and
probably by no.. coincidence, its metabolic rate is similar to that of the..
hummingbirds whose hovering, nectar consuming habits it shares. |

[Photo: Kim Wallis].. |
Luxury Bat Roost Box Arrives at Essex Wildlife Trust
Hanningfield Reservoir Visitor Centre and Nature Reserve.
The Essex Wildlife Trust Visitor Centre has just taken delivery of a state
of the art bat roost box worth £1000 - designed, built and donated by
Maurice Webber of Conservation Constructions ltd. The box has been attached to
the top of a telegraph pole, which is positioned outside the visitor centre,
close to the location of the existing maternity roost of soprano pipistrelle
bats. The Hanningfield Visitor Centre has been host to a maternity bat roost
for the last three years, with over 470 bats using the roof of the visitor
centre each year. Female bats gather in the Maternity Roost April - October and
give birth to their pups. After 4 weeks old the pups start to be weaned and
begin to venture out of the roost and learn to fly and catch small flying
insects on the wing. During the autumn the bats leave the maternity roost and
find a suitable site to hibernate over the colder months. The Claughton family
carry out fortnightly counts of the roost, counting the bats as they emerge one
by one out of the roof apex.

This data is important and shows that the number of bats using the roost has
increased each year. The fitting of the telegraph pole and box was done by Rob
and Martyn from Cable and Line, who gave their time and resources free of
charge. The bat roost box is made from wood, and has a tiled roof and front.
The box has a range of small entrances, which lead into a wide range of layered
compartments and sections, which will appeal to a number of species of bat. We
are hoping that in addition to the building the bats will make use of the roost
box to raise their young. We will then insert an infra red camera into the box,
which will transmit live images of the bats to a screen in the visitor
centre.
Hanningfield Visitor Centre is arranging a number of events where members of
the public can use a bat detector to hear the echolocation of bats and help
count the bats out of the roost at dusk.
Come and celebrate 50 years of Essex Wildlife Trust viewing the bats fly from
their roost at Hanningfield Visitor Centre on Saturday 22nd August 7.45 -
8.45pm FREE event. Bring along a camp chair and refreshments.
For this event no booking is required.
Contact 01268 711001 for more information or view all our events at
www.essexwt.org.uk.
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