Bat group appeals for records to sink fangs into

Manx Bat Group wants to locate suspected maternity roosts

A local environmental group is appealing for records to help them protect habitats fully.

The Manx Bat Group strives to find out more about the bats that inhabit the Isle of Man, where they live, where they feed and what protection they need in order for them to flourish.

They're appealing for records of bats in general, but especially of any suspected maternity roosts which will now be in active use.

Every year, volunteer members of the Bat Group go out on summer evenings to count the number of bats leaving well-known roosts. 

Nick Pinder from the group says although they have details of about 360 bat roosts in their database, only about a third are thought to be currently in use.

He said: "The others have been lost to development or not confirmed for several years. We really need more volunteers to be able to check up on these historic roosts and to locate more, particularly of the less common species."

Following the formal adoption of Biodiversity Action Plans for four of the nine species of bats found in the Isle of Man, the Manx Bat Group is eager to locate maternity roosts of the three species of Myotis bats and any roost of the lesser horseshoe bat. 

Mr Pinder added: "We really need to find the maternity roosts for these animals in order to be able to protect them fully and we hope that by appealing to the public roosts will be reported to us, some of which may well turn out to be of these species and which we can monitor in the future."

Any records of bats can be submitted to the Manx Bat Group by using the reporting form of the Group’s website.