There are 16 species of British bat, 6 of which are endangered or rare and 6 others that are designated as vulnerable. All but one of the 16 species have been recorded in the Batscapes project area of Bath & North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire, making it one of the most important bat regions in the country.

To see whether we have any bat records yet for your parish see our Parish Bat Map.

Greater Horseshoe

UK Conservation Status: Endangered

Main Roost Sites: Buildings, underground sites

Local Status: A once relatively widespread bat the greater horseshoe is now restricted to a few key areas of south-west England and Wales. The area to the south of Bath is a particular hotspot with both summer maternity and winter hibernation sites associated with the surrounding stone mines. The mines are designated as being of European importance. The caves and mines of the Mendips provide similarly important hibernation sites, and there has been increasing evidence of greater horseshoes in the southern half of South Gloucestershire.

Lesser Horseshoe

UK Conservation Status: Endangered

Main Roost Sites: Buildings, underground sites

Local Status: Like the greater horseshoe, the lesser is now restricted to key areas of south-west England and Wales, though it is slightly more numerous. There are a small number of roost sites scattered across the project area, typically close to richly wooded areas, and there are probably a few more yet to be found. It is often associated with large old houses, a character trait which has led to horseshoe bats being dubbed the aristocrats of bats.

Daubenton’s

UK Conservation Status: Not Threatened

Main Roost Sites: Trees, buildings, underground sites

Local Status: Daubenton’s bats are closely associated with water and can be seen flying low over many local rivers, canals and lakes, skimming the surface to pick up insects. They are best searched for along tree lined stretches of water with an undisturbed water surface. Flight records occur across the project area typically where such conditions exist.

Brandt’s

UK Conservation Status: Vulnerable

Main Roost Sites: Buildings, underground sites

Local Status: Together with the similar whiskered bat (see below) the majority of local records for this species are either of grounded individuals or hibernating bats. Both bats are probably present in small numbers scattered across the project area.

Whiskered

UK Conservation Status: Vulnerable

Main Roost Sites: Buildings, underground sites

Local Status: Whiskered bats share many of the same traits as Brandt’s (which were only recognised as a separate species during the last century), and the local records reflect this similarity. On a bat detector they are indistinguishable and so flight records do not stipulate which of the two bats is recorded.

Natterer’s

UK Conservation Status: Vulnerable

Main Roost Sites: Buildings, underground sites

Local Status: The project area contains only one currently known maternity roost, which is in the keynsham region, however there have been reports of individual natterer’s further afield and it is likely there are other roosts waiting to be found.

Bechstein’s

UK Conservation Status: Rare

Main Roost Sites: Trees

Local Status: We are fortunate in that there are a couple of local sites where this extremely rare bat has been recorded more than once, and it is possible that one of our woodland trees plays host to a maternity colony. Our chances of finding it however are slim unless a suitable individual is found during the summer and able to be radio tracked.

Common Pipistrelle

UK Conservation Status: Not Threatened

Main Roost Sites: Buildings, trees

Local Status: The common pipistrelle and the soprano pipistrelle (see below) were only recognised as being separate species in 1991, and despite notable declines over the last 30 years they remain our most common bats both nationally and locally. The common pipistrelle happily makes use of a wide range of habitats and can be a regular visitor to insect rich gardens. Together with the soprano pipistrelle it constitutes the vast majority of bat roosts reported by residents to be in the roof of their houses, and although records for some areas are sparse it is probably present within every parish of the project area.

Soprano Pipistrelle

UK Conservation Status: Not threatened

Main Roost Sites: Buildings, trees

Local Status: The soprano pipistrelle is more closely associated with water than the common pipistrelle and is often found flying close to tree lined rivers and lakes. In certain circumstances it can form very large maternity roosts and there are a couple of roosts within the project area that for a few months in the summer can contain over 500 bats.

Nathusius Pipistrelle

UK Conservation Status: Rare

Main Roost sites: Buildings

Local Status: Thought to be a recent arrival to the UK from mainland Europe occasional individuals are starting to be recorded flying at large lakes across southern England and Wales, including the Chew Valley area. So far we have yet to find a local roost but there is probably one out there!

Serotine

UK Conservation Status: Vulnerable

Main Roost Sites: Buildings

Local Status: Although there are a scattering of records of serotines seen in flight around the project area, there are only a tiny handful of local roosts known. Being one of our largest bats, typically roosting in houses and tending to emerge quite early in the evening it is perhaps surprising that more roosts have not been spotted by householders. However as the serotine is rather an uncommon bat, absent from most English counties, even if all local roosts were known their number would be likely to be small.

Noctule

UK Conservation Status: Vulnerable

Main Roost Sites: Trees

Local Status: Noctule roosts are difficult to find as they are hidden away in tree holes, and although it is still regularly recorded in flight there have been no maternity roosts recorded locally over the last decade. It is the largest British bat and unlike our smaller bats will fly high above open fields even in the light of early evening. Bat box checks by the Avon Bat Group often turn up small numbers of noctules roosting in the boxes in late summer.

Leislers

UK Conservation Status: Vulnerable

Main Roost Sites: Buildings

Local Status: There is a known roost just outside the project area, though none within, however occasional individual leislers have been recorded in South Gloucestershire over the last decade which may reflect the presence of a further maternity roost or the wandering nature of this species.

Barbastelle

UK Conservation Status: Rare

Main Roost Sites: Trees

Local Status: Until 2004 there were no local Barbastelle records however two individuals have now been recorded between Bath and Norton Radstock. The Bat Conservation Trust has recently developed a successful method of surveying woodlands for this species and adoption of this technique by may soon yield more records.

Brown Long-Eared

UK Conservation Status: Not Threatened

Main Roost Sites: Buildings, Trees

Local Status: Numerous roost and flight records exist from across the project area, including a well studied roost south of Keynsham that formed the basis of local bat worker Bob Howard’s published book. After pipistrelles this is the most common bat encountered in the roof spaces of local houses, and is also commonly resident in churches.

For further information on individual bat species visit the Bat Conservation Trust website.

If you know of any bat roosts in your local area the Batscapes Project would be very pleased to hear from you. It is only by members of the public informing us of roosts in their properties that we are able to build up a picture of the distribution of our local bats, in return we are able to give advice on bats in buildings and answer any queries you may have. For contact details see the Batscapes Contacts Page