The Lincolnshire Bird Club

22/08/07 8:45pm

Watched 27 Pipistrelles? leave a roost on my house tonight over a 15 minute period.
The roost is under some old cladding on the side of my house. The sort of cladding that a non bat lover would tear off and replace ( I won't be doing that!)
I thought only 2-3 bats roosted here so this count was a bit of a revelation.

Ian Birch

Hi Ian

Pipistrelle sp. would be the most likely. They are Britains' commonest bat by a country mile and will readily roost in a cavity rather than a roof void. I was told that 200 pips will fit in a bucketful - a good field ecologist's rule of thumb if there ever was one. The fact that they were emerging when it was still light is another pointer to them being pips. Thanks for leaving them alone. If you need advice on the bats, Natural England run a volunteer bat warden scheme where people can come and offer advice if necessary.

Nick