New bat reserve will help us learn to love creatures of the night

A PIONEERING approach to bat conservation will begin in Scotland today with the launch of the nation's first dedicated reserve for the nocturnal animals.

Conservation experts believe the new centre near Castle Douglas will protect bats and their habits for the future.

The branchild of the National Trust for Scotland, the reserve is located at Threave Estate in Dumfries and Galloway. Supported by Scottish Natural Heritage, the organisation hopes it will become a centre of learning and research for the flying mammals.

The protected animals have seen their population suffer serious declines over the past century, but there are signs that some species are starting to recover.

According to the Bat Conservation Trust, overall numbers have been "relatively stable" during the past decade.

With Threave home to a particularly rare species, the NTS believes it is the ideal location to spearhead a public awareness drive of the animals' plight.

Dick Balharry, the trust's interim chairman and a lifelong conservationist, will oversee the formal opening of the reserve today.

He said: "The reserve will help protect bats and their habitats for the future, enabling us to educate others in the care and protection of these fascinating creatures.

"More than three-quarters of the trust's properties are home to bats. That means over the years we have built up considerable expertise in bat conservation – we know where they like to live, what they like to eat and how they need to be protected."

Visitors to Threave can take part in a bat trail and learn more about where bats roost at the sprawling country estate. A special "bat mobile" will tour the grounds, allowing people to see and hear some of the species that have made their home there.

Threave is home to seven species of bat – the rare Whiskered variety, along with the Bandit pipistrelle, Soprano pipistrelle, Daubenton's, Brown long-eared, Noctule and Natterer's – more than any other place in Scotland. The trust is confident more will be identified.

Lindsay Mackinlay's, the trust's nature conservation officer, said: "A lot of work by a lot of people has gone into establishing this exciting new reserve, and we would invite folk to come down, open their minds and be amazed by these quite extraordinary yet badly understood animals."

Chris Miles, area manager for Scottish Natural Heritage area manager said: "We hope that what the trust have done at Threave will encourage others to think positively about living with bats."

FACINATING OR FRIGHTENING.....

WHISKERED

Whiskered bats have dark brown upper-parts with greyish white under-parts. Their faces, ears and wing membranes are dark grey/black.

With an average lifespan of 24 years, they are uncommon in Scotland. The species is very similar to Brandt's bat and was only found to be a different species in 1970..

SOPRANO PIPISTRELLE

Only recently recognised as a separate species from common pipistrelles, the Soprano can be told apart courtest of the higher frequency of its echolocation call.

It has been suggested that British soprano pipistrelle roosts are more common in Scotland and parts of Ireland. In the August and September mating season, males defend their mating roosts from other males.

DAUBENTON'S

Favouring dark underground places such as caves and abandoned mines, Daubenton's bats can hibernate for up to six months a year.

They leave their roosts at twilight to hunt for small insects which they scoop up with their membranous tails and large feet, skimming just centimetres above the water's surface.

BROWN LONG-EARED

Boasting strikingly long ears which are folded when the animal is at rest, the brown long-eared bat is slow and fluttering in flight, often close to the ground, leaving them vulnerable to predators.

In summertime, they roost in the likes of tree holes, bat and bird boxes and attics. In the winter, they hibernate in cellars, tunnels and caves, usually alone.

NOCTULE

One of the larger British bats, they sometimes come out to hunt before sunset, feeding on moths, beetles and other large flying insects.

From October to April, noctules hibernate in trees, bat boxes, buildings and rock fissures. Generally, they live in forests, but some populations can be found in towns. During harsh winters, they sometimes sit on top of each other to keep warm.

NATTERER'S

With pinkish limbs, Natterer's bats are sometimes known as the #red-armed bat'. Their fur is light brown above and buff below.

Usually making their habitat in wooded areas, parks, and riverbanks, they can be found across most of Europe, except for Scandinavia.