A morning of Bat Box Checking!
If you’ve been following along on my Instagram lately (@naturewithholly) you will know that one of my absolute favourite species of wildlife are bats! Which is why I was so thrilled to join a bat box endoscope survey this past Saturday. I was lucky enough to join my local bat group on an endoscope bat box check survey I know, you are probably wondering what the heck does ‘endoscope bat box check survey’ even mean… So read on in today’s article to find out all about what I got up to AND even see some shots from the day!
What’s a bat box?
Okay, so firstly before we get to the ‘endoscope’ side of the survey let me first explain what a bat box actually is. So, here in the UK one of the biggest threats to our bat population is the destruction of habitat and because most bat roosts tend to be in ancient trees and woodland once these are gone its going to take a while before they can be replaced naturally. So, incomes the bat box! Providing an artificial roost area for bats to enjoy safely and securely. There are several different types of bat box, but the most common two are pictured below and most importantly both of these can be checked with an endoscope!
What’s an endoscope?
It’s possible that you’ve heard of an endoscope or endoscopic camera before just not in the setting of UK wildlife. This is because endoscopes are most often used in human medicine. Essentially an endoscope is a long thin tube with a tiny camera and light source at one end! In the context of bat surveying this is placed on a large extending pole which can then be lifted into the air and positioned into the small opening of a bat box to check inside for occupants! This method of bat box checking is significantly less intrusive than other methods as the bats are relatively undisturbed by the camera allowing for safer surveying techniques.
Why do bat box surveys take place?
Firstly, its important that the bat boxes are monitored and maintained to ensure they are still providing a safe and viable habitat for bats; where necessary during a survey we may cut or remove obstructive branches and vegetation as well as moving boxes/checking they are still secured correctly. The reason bat boxes are checked with an endoscope to see if there are any live occupants allows monitoring of the local bat populations and species variations. If we know what bats are where on a regular basis, it means we can secure their habitat and locations as well as insuring their future. The data can also be added to a nationwide database in the overall monitoring of bat species across the country.
So, what happened on Saturday?
Saturday’s survey involved checking just over 70 bat boxes positioned around a large forest owned by the National Trust. The majority of boxes are placed in groups of three several meters off the ground, secured too one or two trees. We then have to walk to each box, turn on the endoscope, carefully lift it into the opening on the box and watch the live camera view on an iPad to see if there is anything inside. If there are bats inside, we write down the number (or a close estimate if there is lots!), the species type and anything else of note. Sometimes, you do find that other species may have moved into a bat box, such as blue tits, hornets, or wasps, and even the occasional dormouse! On Saturday though we only found bats! The most common species being Soprano and Common Pipistrelles. Below, are a few stills and video clips from the endoscope camera so you can get a real idea of the view inside a bat box!
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