Photo Jude Hirstwood
Two of us were invited to Avon to watch Daniel Hargreaves harp trapping bats at the entrance to a stone quarry a well known swarming site. It is thought that males gather there in the hope of attracting females – and indeed most of the bats caught were males. A mere 120 bats later , we were so impressed by the smooth way the bats were processed – most were caught and released within five minutes. Amongst the bats that were caught were a Bechstein’s bat and a number of greater horseshoes. The greater horseshoe looks benevolent but don’t be fooled it was bity.
Greater Horseshoe Bat Photo Jude Hirstwood
Bechstein's bat. Photo Jude Hirstwood
Daubenton's bat. Photo Jude Hirstwood
The bats are ringed so that their movements can be monitored. One Daubenton’s bat was all too keen to co-operate as was caught no less than four times that evening- no matter where he was released from
Daniel also showed us a mini harp trap he had made to trap bats from tree roosts. We stopped of on the way home to visit the garden centre he had bought the bits from. Another project for the Winter