Tayside Bat Group
Hibernation checks Jan 2018
We checked our usual tunnel and found three brown long eared bats and two Daubenton's bats.
Its usually the same numbers and species of bats in here, sometimes with one missing or one added - its tempting to think its the same bats coming back year after year but of course we can't prove that without disturbing them, which we wouldn't do!
Hibernacula Hunting at Huntingtower Castle Feb 2018
Huntingtower Castle on the outskirts of Perth are justifiably proud of their bat colonies as they already know they have pipistrelle, brown long eared bats and Natterer's bats roosting in the castle in the summer. We visited the castle to see if we could confirm its also being used as a hibernacula in the winter as well.
We spent an enjoyable few hours exploring the castle and looking into lots of wee nooks and crannies, and were pleased to confirm that it is being used as a hibernacula, because we found two pipistrelles roosting in a window lintel. Pipistrelles love vertical crevices and it is the first place to look for them. Then we went to a tunnel near Crieff where we found a few more bats :)
When looking for hibernating bats, its important to know the law - it is illegal to enter a roost without a licence so if you know there is roosting bats you need to stay out of the roost. This is important because its easy to disturb the bats and cause them to wake up which costs them a lot of energy = in hibernation they lower their breathing, heart rate and body temperature which saves them lots of energy and allows them to survive the winter with no food (because there are no insects until spring). If we wake them up unnecessarily, they may starve to death before spring.
Talk - Evolution of Bats April 2018
Liz Farrell, the Scottish Bat Conservation Officer very kindly came up to Perth and gave us a talk on the evolution of bats. We had a very good turnout and it was a very interesting evening.
Photo credits: J. Oudney
Bat box checks, Dundee - May 2018
We spent a few hours checking some bat boxes around Dundee in May - some in Templeton Woods, some at Trottick Ponds and some on Dundee Law. We found 4 bats in Templeton Wood but none in any of the other boxes - not sure why but we will keep checking them periodically for signs of use. Also in May we visited the Enchanted Forest and checked the boxes we put up in 2017, but didn't find any bats this time. Interestingly, the famous TV series Outlander was being filmed in part of the forest and we were allowed into that part to look for our boxes, although we couldn't take any photos.
Bats will move roosts frequently throughout the year but they do tend to be faithful to their roost and return to the same ones again and again. So we may not find the actual bat but we may find signs of use, such as bat poo in or below the box. At least they are there if the bats need them!
Remember its illegal to disturb or enter a bat roost, so you must not touch the boxes.
Bat stalls in Dundee, June and July 2018
In June and July we had a couple of stalls in Dundee, one for a gala day on top of Dundee Law on a lovely sunny day and then the following month at the City Road Allotments open day (when the weather wasn't quite as nice!).
These kind of things are great fun as they involve talking to anyone that passes about bats - my favourite subject! Good PR work for bats too :)
Blairgowrie Talk and Walk, July 2018
In July I held a Batty Talk which was open the public in a wee room in the centre of Blairgowrie - I was really pleased to see the wee room full and we had a lovely evening talking about bats, and then walking down the river to watch them flying around and munching on insects.
I will do another one in 2019.
Perth Bat Walk, July 2018
We ran a bat walk in Perth during the summer. We had a wander around the North Inch first waiting for the bats to appear, and then enjoyed the pipistrelles zooming around our heads.
Not long after that it was time for the Daubenton's bats to come out and a great place to see them is on the riverside walk where you can see them skimming the top of the water in the streetlights.
Bats and Beavers Night 2018
Once again we held the popular bats and beavers night at Bamff Estate, Alyth by kind permission of Paul and Louise Ramsay and is a joint evening for members of TBG and the Scottish Wild Beaver Group. We were visited by a juvenile beaver and then enjoyed the bat activity with both species of pipistrelles flying overhead.
I left a passive bat detector there overnight and recorded some Myotis species calls - not definitive enough to confirm species but good to have a record of what is hunting around the beaver habitat :)
Blairgowrie Highland Games, Sept 2018
TBG had a stall at Blairgowie Highland Games this year, instead of the Dundee Flower and Food Festival as in previous few years. The festival is a lot of work as its over 3 days and I struggle to get enough people to help man the stall, plus its a big time committment so I opted for the Highland Games which is a local one day job.
Chris came and helped out which was great as I was floating between bats and the beaver stall next door and the day was quite busy.
Hibernacula Check Dec 2018
Due to lack of time we just checked the usual tunnel once this winter but we got a surprise because we found some Natterer's there as well, so that is three different species using it now (Natterer's, Daubenton's and brown long eared bats).
