Eilish Rothney, Trinity Broads Warden
In 2002 a bespoke hibernaculum was built for Daubenton's bats
on the site of the Essex & Suffolk Water Treatment Works at Ormesby St
Michael. Daubenton's bats are also known as the
'water bat', fishing insects from the water's surface with their large feet or
tail.
A total of eight species of bat have been recorded on the Trinity Broads
and a number of different bats have used the roost over the years
including Daubenton's, Pipistrelles and
Natterers. There are three species of Pipstrelle and they are our smallest bats
– weighing less than a £1 coin! Natterers are medium sized, feeding on a
variety of invertebrates including spiders; they like roosting in crevices.
By 2013 the hibernaculum / roost was getting rather overgrown
with brambles and a number of alder were potentially obstructing the flight
path the bats use to enter the roost. Brambles can be dangerous for bats as
they can become entangled or damage their wings – we needed to do some
clearance work! The difficulty was timing this work. To disturb the bats whilst
they are in the deep torpor of hibernation could endanger them, but if we left
it until the warmer spring weather when they would be more active and less
vulnerable, we risked there being birds nesting. Consulting with licensed bat
experts we drew up a plan:
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Photos: Mick Finnemore and Eilish Rothney
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- First check the Hibernaculum to see if bats were present
- Clearance work would be done with a crack team of volunteers working very quietly with hand tools
- Materials would be carried away some distance to be burned so no noise or smoke would affect the Hibernaculum
- Block the entrance to reduce noise and stop any smoke entering
The work was carried out in early March and I am so proud of
my Herculean team who completed the bramble cutting within the day. Result – hopefully safe happy bats with good
access to their roost and good flight paths to the broad and surrounding
feeding areas.
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