Topic: bats

[queenbee]

Just been out in the garden, nearly dark and I have noticed that there were quite a lot of moths, I then saw what I first thought were birds, not birds but bats. I live in a fairly urban area and was thrilled to bits as several bats were flying round my garden. I am sure that they are the most common ones but could someone out there tell me what kind they might be. 

[sunloving]

How lovely,
I often sit out on the kitchen step with my detector just before bed watching them in the garden.

Yours are probably pipestrelles, they are the ones that love to roost in houses rather than trees and tend to use gardens.

They look big in the air but once thier wings are folded they fit inside a small matchbox and only weigh about the same as a 2p peice, but they can hoover up to 3000 insects each a night .

Theyve struggled this year becuase weve had so much rain overnight and so have been roost bound when they need to feed hungry babies.

Lovely evening sight arent they

x sunloving

[pumkinlover]

If I stay late on the garden or plot they come out. We were very worried that there may be less this year because a big old building nearby was demolished- much against our wishes.
However still around. Sometimes they will get really close!

[saddad]

We see them on our lotties too..   :)

[elhuerto]

We have bats in our cellar and a couple of times we've had them flying around in the living room - it is amazing how small they are with their wings folded up.

[Digeroo]

We get them both in the garden and at the lottie.  I love sitting and watching them. I have not seen many this year.  I was worried the weather is too cold for them.

[Aden Roller]

They are amazing creatures to watch.

On a School Camp many years ago, when we had 30 eight to nine year olds with us, several quite large bats appeared at around dusk. I stood watching them with a new large (as they were then) mobile phone in my hand trying to get a signal to call the Head to say we were all OK. One of the children, some distance away across the camp site, started to fuss about the bats as she didn't like them. Gradually more of the littleuns joined in the fussing.

Meanwhile a couple of the children came to ask what I was doing so I told them I was playing with my remote controlled bats. Somehow or other by coincidence the bats swooped and turned in front of us. Soon one of the boys asked if he could have a go and we discussed how expensive they were and how you had to take care not to crash them into the trees. (Mad or what?)

The children loved the game and eventually the "fusser" joined us as the onlookers numbers grew. It became a highlight of each evening with children wanting me to "turn the bats on" so we could all sit and watch them before bedtime.  ;D

Before we left for home at the end of the week I made sure I told all of them that it was make-believe and just a game.  ;)

[Robert_Brenchley]

90% of the bats in Britain are pipistrelles, so all small bats are pipistrelles until proved otherwise.

[Digeroo]

I went on a bat walk with the National Trust a few years ago and was amazed to see the Daubentons skimming over the water.

We get bigger ones at the lottie sometimes they seemed to be about twice the size of the pipistrelles.