Bat Habitats
Bats
rely on shelter away from predators and a constant source of water and
insects to survive. To enable UK bat populations to flourish, we need a
diverse range of sites available where bats can forage and roost.
Bats can be found in grassland, farm land and near waterways and ponds - so long as there are sufficient structures to roost in and peripheral wood, hedgerow or manmade linear features for their protection and navigation.
Bats are also becoming more reliant on urban habitats, where they roost in buildings and forage in nearby wooded parks and gardens. Habitat choice can be species-specific and some bats will journey further out to seek the habitat they prefer.
Tree
habitats are an important type of natural habitat which support nearly
all species of bat and play a fundamental role in their life cycle.
They use trees for roosting sites where they can give birth to their
young in a protected and sheltered environment and in winter they can
safely hibernate in deep crevices. Tree habitats with their associated
shrubbery attract a wide variety of insects which bats prey on and they
also utilise trees and hedgerows as navigational landmarks for their
nocturnal flight path. The edges of woodland and hedgerows are linear
features which create a corridor for bats to commute from one area of
countryside to another such as from their roost site to new foraging
grounds.
Waterways and ponds not only provide bats with the water they need to rehydrate but also attract midges and other flying insects which congregate in their thousands and provide a ready feast for bats. The Daubenton’s bat, in particular, is often seen to skim over the top of the water to feed on a variety of water insects and pipistrelles, although being the most commonly found bat in buildings, will often feed over the water of a nearby river or pond.