| Of the 16 species of bat found in the
British Isles, 12 have been recorded in Cornwall. On fine summer nights bats start leaving their day roosts around
dusk. This is often the best time to try and spot their silhouettes
against the sky before it gets too dark.
Flying uses up a lot of energy so bats need to catch plenty of
insects to stay healthy; a tiny Pipistrelle may eat up to 3,000 insects
in one night! So, the best places to look for bats is where insects
gather at night - around woodland, hedgerows, rivers, ponds, lakes,
gardens, or even white street lights.
If there is a bat associated with Cornwall, it must be the
Greater Horseshoe which can be found roosting within the honey comb of redundant tin mines
and buildings.
In the summer you could find out about locally organised bat walks
(see our Diary page) where members will guide you around some lovely
countryside and allow you to listen in to the ultrasonic calls of
bats as they find their way around in the dark.
Our bats are in decline
As recently as the 1950's colonies of thousands of bats could be seen
but today even our most common bat, the Pipistrelle, appears to have
suffered serious decline. It is thought to be the result of many
factors:
- Timber treatment with toxic chemicals used in lofts can be fatal
to bats
- Roost sites are lost due to vandalism, blocking of access holes,
and tree felling.
- Mine capping used to be a major problem in Cornwall.
Enlightened councils such as Kerrier are now providing access for
bats in their capping program
- General habitat destruction
- Changes in agricultural practices reducing the number and
variety of insects
Bats and the law
In Great Britain, all bats are fully
protected under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and
Countryside Act (1981) as amended, and by the
Conservation (Natural Habitats etc) Regulations (1994).
An agreement on the Conservation of Bats in Europe (EUROBATS)
under the auspices of the Bonn Convention, also known as
the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) is in force,
and all European bats are listed under Appendix II of
the CMS .
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