Nature features

Our Wildlife Detectives Gavin Hageman (BBOWT’s Wildlfie Officer) and BBC Oxford’s Jo Thoenes venture into the night in search of bats using ultrasonic bat detectors at BBOWT’s Foxholes Wood Nature Reserve.

Click the links below to hear the audio as Daubentons bats swoop low over the river Evenlode hunting insects using eco-location, whilst other species of bat including the tiny Pipistrelle hunt along the woodland edge.

A Daubenton bat feeding over water

“Bat detecting is brilliant fun,” said Gavin. “Foxholes Wood, near Shipton-under Wychwood is a terrific place for bats and is home to many species of bat. It’s very exciting as a bat flies towards you in the dark. The bat detector bursts into a loud slappy, clicking noise and sometimes you can see the bats fly by.”

Bats in the UK

In the UK, we are lucky enough to have 17 resident species of bat - that's almost a quarter of our mammal species. These range from the common Pipistrelle bat, which at 5g will fit in a matchbox to the Noctule which is one of our largest bats weighing in at 20-40g. They are all insect eaters – did you know that a Pipistrelle can eat up to 3000 tiny insects such as midges in a night?

Brown Long Eared Bat

Bat conservation

Every summer, thousands of people venture out to experience the wonder of bats in their natural environment. Sadly, bat populations have suffered severe declines during the past century. They are still under threat from factors such as:

• Loss of feeding habitats and flightlines
• Loss of insects to feed on
• Building and development work affecting roosts
• Insensitive lighting near where bats live
• Wind turbines 
• Felling of trees containing roosts

Bats and the law

All bats and their roosts are protected by law, so before doing any works to your property where bats are present or where you have seen droppings, you must seek advice. It is illegal to recklessly harm bats or the places they live.