A five year study into bat behavior in an Oxfordshire wood reveals how bats regularly move roost sites every few days.
The study confirmed that bats “move house” every few days, but usually to another roost site nearby.
Dr Fiona Mathews, of Exeter University, said: “This work has really important practical implications for bat conservation. We now realise that although social groups of woodland bats ‘move house’ every few days, they remain within a very small geographical range. This means that even small-scale felling may destroy all the roosts potentially available to a group.”
This means that even small scale tree removal at sites where bats are found may remove important roosting sites and make the area unsuitable. This would be a concern at Erith Quarry where bats are found and there could be some tree removal.
Bats are thought to move regularly possibly to ensure they are always in the site with the best micro-climate or to avoid the build up of parasites.
The article from The Independent 31/10/14
