An unfortunate bats adds a new species for an area

Bat rescue and rehabilitation is one of the core remits of Nottinghamshire Bat Group. In June and July, when pups are being born, this can be a busy time of year for our ‘bat carers’. It can be especially busy when the weather is wet and windy in these months, as mums and their offspring struggle to feed and juveniles take their first flights. Domestic cat attacks on struggling bats also increase around this time.

The mid-summer period can therefore be very demanding for even the most committed of our volunteers. And unfortunately our efforts are to no avail with certain bats. However, even during stressful summers and in cases where bats don’t survive, they still provide us with invaluable records which aid the overall conservation of bats. For example, this male Leisler’s bat Nyctalus leisleri was found in Epperstone by two of our members (Julia Gunn and Matt Cook) and their fellow villagers in late June – it is a very uncommon confirmed record in this area.

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If you find a grounded or injured bat at any time of year, please contact the Bat Conservation Trust (BCT) helpline via http://www.bats.org.uk/pages/help.html or 0345 1300 228. A dedicated national network of volunteers will be able to help.

If are specifically interested in helping Nottinghamshire Bat Group with bat rescue or care, then please contact us via this website. If you record any species of bat anywhere in the county, then we’d love to have the record for our ‘Echolocation Location’ project.

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