We are very pleased to have successfully completed the second summer of our involvement with the Bat
Conservation Trust (BCT) National Nathusius’
Pipistrelle Project, which involves several other bat groups collaborating in an attempt to understand more about the distribution, breeding status and migration habits of this uncommon but widespread bat species. The technical lead and national coordinator of this project is Daniel Hargreaves. It licensed for use by Natural England via a Science,
Education and Conservation Project Licences. It is also augmented by the remote deployment of automated bat detectors by the bat group. employs advanced survey techniques comprising harp traps, mist nets and acoustic lures, which are
Over the two years for Nathusius’ pipistrelle Pipistrellus nathusii , our cohort has now successfully fitted unique biometric rings (as shown in the photos) to, and taken fur samples for stable hydrogen isotope analysis from, 51 individual Nathusius’ pips to contribute to this national project; 38 of these bats have been processed within Nottinghamshire, 11 at Rutland Water, and two just over the border in Lincolnshire. It is now hopefully only a matter of time before we have the results back from BCT that will determine the origins of these bats, and before one of ‘our bats’ turns up somewhere distant.
Interestingly, within our cohort alone though we have already seen six recaptures including two bats that have either resided at, or returned to, the same survey sites between the summers of 2014 and 2015, and then one bat that travelled over 10 km from Colwick Country Park to
Attenborough Nature Reserve at some point between 6 th
August and 19 th September 2015, maybe even that night.
We have also now encountered four female Nathusius’ pips including three at the same site in Nottinghamshire, of which two were parous and one was a sub-adult, and one parous female at Rutland Water. These were all in
October and therefore possibly on migration.
Lastly, we’ve also discovered at least six new sites for this species within and bordering
Nottinghamshire this year, via either this project or via bat detectors funded by the Heritage Lottery
Fund (HLF) and our ‘Echolocation Location’ project.
Thank you to all of the volunteers and landowners / managers that have assisted with this project to date.
A detailed report on the project will be produced before the Spring.
Further information on the fantastic results on this project nationally, and some of the excellent media coverage it has received this year, both locally and nationally, can be found by following the links below:
BCT: http://www.bats.org.uk/news.php/291/on_the_bats_wing_do_i_fly_a_a_remarkable_journey
Notts TV: http://nottstv.com/categories/news/?bctid=4499218433001
The One Show: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p033ztv6
Countryfile: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06j8q70