Bat Surveys: Berkshire & Video
Old Windsor Bat Emergence Survey Video
This blog post explains a little bit about bat surveys and what goes on while our surveyors are at your property!
Berkshire bat surveys by Berkshire licensed bat surveyors
This was a site we surveyed earlier this year in Old Windsor, Windsor and Maidenhead, Berkshire. Previously, a scoping bat survey had been undertaken whereupon the surveyors found the site had ‘high’ habitat value – assessed by the Bat Conservation Trust good practice guidelines for bats surveys – in the form of loose tiles on the roof, large gaps along ridgeline and yet more gaps at eaves.
Finding evidence of bat activity during a bat survey
In context, the site lies close to the river Thames and Runnymead Nature Reserve, which of course is very high value habitat, offering numerous roosting and foraging opportunities: adding further weight to the case that bat would be using the building.
Finally, the internal inspection revealed two droppings in the loft space, which are evidence of bat activity and “confirm” the roost. In consequence, the report of our initial bat assessment required that so-called bat emergence surveys should be undertaken to determine the species of bat (often the species can be identified from droppings, but not always,) and the population number.
Bat Emergence Survey in Berkshire
The emergence surveys for bats were duly undertaken by undertaken by three of Arbtech’s bat surveyors: Martin O’Connor, Mark Best and Polly Booth. The defacto standard ‘two dusk and one dawn’ survey was undertaken in August. A total of four common pipistrelle bats were seen to emerge from the building.
Several other species of British bats were heard and record by our bat surveyors, including brown long eared, daubentons and serotine.
The emergence surveys were undertaken and our report sent to the local planning authority for their assessment and approval. Naturally, the report breezed past the planners and consent to build subject to a European protected species license and bat mitigation method statement was granted without conditions (relating to bats at any rate.)
