Thematic News |
Rare bats discovered on Dartmoor - Published 20 August 2008
A very rare Bechstein’s bat has been discovered on Dartmoor during the second phase of a challenging research project to study the distribution, numbers and feeding habits of another rare bat, the barbastelle.
A partnership of Dartmoor National Park Authority, the Woodland Trust and the National Trust (with funding from the SITA Trust, through the Landfill Communities Fund) set up the £25,000 research project last year to shed more light on the ecology of the barbastelle bat.
The partnership employed Matt Zeale, a PhD student from Bristol University to trap and track these elusive creatures in wooded Dartmoor river valleys. Between July and August this year, Matt caught a further eight barbastelles from the two new breeding colonies discovered during his research last year in the Bovey and Dart Valleys. It was during this research that he discovered the Bechstein’s bat, one of the rarest mammals in the UK!
The bats were captured using acoustic lures that playback the bats’ calls and attract them into nets. This new technology enables researchers to catch bats in remote woods and track them on their nightly forays. Barbastelles and Bechstein’s bats roost under peeling bark and in splits and holes in damaged and dead trees, so it is important that woodland management regimes ensure their roosting sites are not compromised.
Miriam Glendell, Dartmoor National Park Authority Ecologist said:
’We are very pleased with the results of this research. Matt has done a fantastic job in keeping going at night in often very challenging weather conditions. Both the barbastelle and the Bechstein’s bat are rare species of woodland bat, with only a few confirmed breeding colonies nationally, so the Dartmoor discoveries add significantly to our understanding of the ecology and distribution of both species. We are hoping to follow up this research with practical conservation action to secure the bat’s future.’
The research work is helping to implement actions identified in Action for Wildlife: the Dartmoor Biodiversity Action Plan, produced by Dartmoor National Park Authority with partner organisations. The Action Plan sets out a common vision for Dartmoor’s biodiversity, with objectives and targets to achieve this vision.
From: Dartmoor National Park
Link: http://www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk/au_rarebatspr08
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