Tayside Bat Group
2017 TBG Activities
Glenfarg Railway Tunnels Hibernacula Day Jan 2017
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TBG invited Central Scotland Bat Group and Fife Bat Group along to help to hunt for bats at these abandoned railway tunnels. We did a summer survey here last summer and found a roosting BLE and foraging pips inside the tunnels.
This time we found 5 bats - all likely pipistrelles but it was difficult to tell. We also found 21 Herald moths as well, which made the moth people happy when I told them of our finds!
This site doesn't seem to be a registered hibernacula so it will be now :)
Photo credit: Central Scotland Bat Group
Perthshire Hibernation Hunt Feb 2017
We checked an Ice House near Alyth (no bats found but we can perhaps adapt it to make it more suitable), then we checked the tunnel at Dunkeld and we were excited to find 3 Daubenton's and 2 Brown long eared bats, plus a couple of Herald Moths.
Then we drove to another tunnel near Crieff where we helped Jenny count the bats in the tunnel. A good day out and we will go back to the Dunkeld tunnel later in March for a final count :)
Hibernation Hunt March 2017
We visited the tunnel again near Dunkeld where we found two Daubenton's and two brown long eared bats - the extra Daubenton's we had last month has gone elsewhere.
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We also investigated Telford's bridge in Dunkeld which has a "prison" at the base of each side. The Birnam side is boarded up so access looks unlikely but the Dunkeld side has a door with padlocks which was apparently opened a few years ago on a Doors Open Day so access might be possible. On two other sides there are barred slits through which you can see into the chambers.
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I think they are worth a look at some point as they could be a possible summer roost but I'm not convinced they will have the constant temperature necessary for a hibernation site because of the passage of air through the slits.
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Still it was fun investigating it and we will try and keep looking at other structures for possible roosts.
Photo credit: Steve Drysden
Photo credit: Jean Oudney
Batty Care Day, Scone Racecourse, Perth April 2017
Tayside Bat Group held a very successful Batty Care Day at Perth Racecourse, where we had three fantastic speakers in our very own experienced bat scientist, Dr Sue Swift who took us through bat biology and ecology, and how to recognise our Scottish bats.
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Tracey Jolliffe then talked about what to do when rescuing a bat and followed with a fascinating talk on rabies - Tracey is a microbiologist who actually worked on rabies in the lab so we really got a professional eye view. Then after lunch we had a bat handling session with Sue, Tracey and myself, and ended with a talk from Kit Wood on how to deal with the massive issue of bat pups and the best things to do for the benefit of bats and bat conservation.
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Everyone seemed to enjoy their day and learnt lots - even more important many of them said they are intending to become active bat carers or ambulance drivers which is fantastic and the whole point of the day :)
Photo credit: Jean Oudney
Bat Detector Workshop May 2017
TBG had a fantastic turnout of over 16 people for our bat detector training workshop tonight, which was open to non members.
Anne Youngman from BCT kindly came up to train everyone on how to use a detector and the way to tell the different bats apart. She played different bat calls and we guessed which was which
We then went down the riverside in Blairgowrie where we saw and listened to both species of pipistrelles and also Daubenton's. A good night :)
Photo credit: Jean Oudney
Bats and Beavers Night July 2017
TBG joined forces with the Scottish Wild Beaver Group with an outing to Bamff Estate, near Alyth where almost as soon as we arrived a beaver popped up and started feeding on a bank opposite us.
We spent a lovely quiet hour or so watching the beaver and looking at the superb habitat created by these ecosystem engineers.. Unfortunately when dusk arrived so did the rain so several of the SWBG disappeared rather quickly....not the hardy bat group though!!!
We had hoped to listen to some Daubenton's bats over the water but as it wasn't safe to get to the right place in the dark we first listened to common pipistrelles in the wood, and then visited a spot between two beaver ponds where we listened to soprano pipistrelles above us. A bit soggy but enjoyable evening out doing something different :)
Photo Credit: Jean Oudney
Perth Graveyard Bat Walk Aug 2017
We had an excellent evening on the banks of the River Tay in Perth tonight where we held a bat survey in the 14th century Kinnoull Graveyard, with both common and soprano pipistrelles swooping around above our heads, and then watched Daubenton's bats foraging under the bridge on the River Tay.
It was open to non members and quite a few people came along, even some kids which was excellent. Hopefully some will join the group and come out to our other events 😊
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Photo Credit: Jean Oudney
Blairgowrie High School survey Aug 2017
Tayside Bat Group were welcomed by Blairgowrie High School where we did a wee bat survey of the school and grounds with biology teacher Chris and some pupils.
David had his "see like a bat goggles" out and was trying them on some willing victims 😉 who practised moving around by echolocation.
Then we talked about bats a lot (our favourite subject 😄) and watched and listened to a common pipistrelle foraging over the school garden and playing fields.
Richard the rescue pipistrelle also made an appearance to let them see a bat close up before he was released later on, and I went back to the school next week to give another Batty talk to the kids 😎
Photo Credit: Jean Oudney
Dundee Flower and Food Festival 2017
TBG had a stall again at the Flower and Food Festival where many people over the 3 days stopped to chat. The stall wasn't manned all the time due to lack of volunteers but the display still offered lots of information about anyone interested in bats.
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I brought along my little dried bats that some of the kids enjoyed holding and it was very good bat PR :)
Glamis Castle Bat Walk Aug 2017
This was a good night for a wander around the grounds and we managed to see quite a few bats. The part of the castle we could stand around was the oldest part which is very high. Apart from being huge, there seems to be only a couple of slate roofs on the turrets and it was pretty difficult to see if any of the bats coming over the top had come out of the castle or not.
The newer part of the castle that is lived in has lower roofs that look more promising in terms of being attractive to bats (and easier to survey) was unfortunately roped off so we couldn't get that close, but it would be surprising if there were not any roosts in there - there are historical records of bat roosts here.
So we then wandered into the woods and walled garden where there we heard both soprano and common pips before crossing back in front of the castle to stand at the Dean Water where we watched and listened to the Daubenton's for a while.
Steve has made an amazing infra red device in which we were able to see them in the dark, so it was a perfect place to try it out - well done Steve :)
Bat box installation, Enchanted Forest
This was postponed from June due to my broken leg and it was an initiative by the Enchanted Forest people that gave us funding for bat boxes - they paid and we got the boxes and installed them with the help of one of their rangers.
We bought 10 schwelgler boxes and Stewart made 20 fabulous wooden boxes that we put along the edge of Dunmore Loch in a quieter area of the forest. We will go back in the spring and check them.
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