South Lancashire Bat Group - Registered Charity No 1109519
03/04/2005
Bat Box session at Viridor Landfill Site Pilsworth Bury. Nine members for the group showed to erect 29 bat boxes on trees on reclaimed land. Most of the trees are too young to exhibit features that would lend them to usage by bats as roosts so, as the trees are sufficiently mature to take boxes, Schwegler boxes were erected.
10/04/2005
6 Schwegler Bat boxes were erected at Ford Lane allotments in Didsbury where a noctule roost in a beech and an adjacent oak tree had been affected by grey squirrels using the roost site. The boxes were erected to provide alternative roosting sites once the noctules return.
16/04/2005
This years Injured Bat Training Session was led by Steve Parker, Fiona Parker Clare Hughes and Gareth Hughes. Attendees were Gareth Harrison, John Harrison-Bryant, Sheree Wilson, Pat Hilton, Beckie Dampier, Rebecca Bentley, John Bentley, Gabi Simms, Martin Prescott, Richard Hadfield, Matt Browne, and Paul Robinson. The event was very enjoyable with at least 4 new carers signing up to care for our injured bats this summer. The training session was once again held at The Barn Philips Park Whitefield, and took all of the day to complete. The best part was the de-heading of mealworm (to feed the bats with) as ever!!
07/05/2005
Training visit to the Noctule roost in the beech tree in Didsbury. Steve and Fiona Parker, Pat Hilton, Sheree Wilson, Victoria Allen, Sonia Allen, Matt Browne turned up to see the bats emerge form the tree, unfortunately the noctules had decided not to turn up (unless they followed Matt!). We did see a few pips feeding along the tree line, which was a good opportunity to show newer people what they were doing.
14/05/2005
The first Bat Biology and Ecology Training Session started with a hitch – one of our trainers Clare Hughes spending the night in hospital so a couple of sections had to be dropped from the schedule, which worked out well as Steve was his normal self going on an on. This session was particularly detailed as needed for licence trainees. The subjects covered were, Taxonomy, wing evolution and form, echolocation, foraging ecology, habitat and roost selection, seasonality and hibernation. Unfortunately reproduction and social behaviour had to be dropped. Martin also wonderfully stepped in at the last minute to cover Threats and conservation. Attendees – Steve Parker, Fiona Parker, Martin Prescott, Pat Hilton, John Harrison-Bryant, Gareth Harrison, Richard Hadfield, Beckie Dampier, Sheree Wilson, Paul Robinson, Ian Venables, Matt Browne, and Victoria Allen.
15/05/2005
Steve and Fiona Parker attended a Bat detector Workshop in Leeds, Temple Newsham. The main reason being to learn how to deliver a Bat Detector Training Session, but it also proved very useful to them as they learnt many things on the day. That evening on a survey around the park they located Pipistrellus pipistrellus, Myotis daubentonii, Myotis mystacinus, Pipistrellus pygmaeus and Nyctalus noctula. Overall a rather fantastic day!
19/05/2005
Steve Parker conducted a Bat Talk for St Maxentius Brownies in Bradshaw Bolton, paying particular attention to the millponds project which surveyed a reservoir next to their meeting place last summer – Jumbles reservoir. There were 25 brownies and 5 leaders who attended the talk and slide show, and got to meet some real live pipistrelles.
21/05/2005
Bat Walk at Pennington Flash was lead by Steve Parker but attended by many bat group members, which was very pleasing considering the poor weather. Approximately 20 people showed up for the walk and they all got to meet live pipistrelles bats again, and the talk highlighted some of the findings of the Millpond survey, which included the Flashes at the Pennington site. The night in question was low in bat numbers but a species new to the site was determined by bat detector record. The first recorded Brown long-eared bat was recorded. Also we saw pipistrelles (45’s and 55’s) as well as Daubenton’s bat although we had to wait quite late to see them and noctules. Given the fact that in 2004 a walk at Pennington for the rangers determined the presence of feeding Natterers bats, we now know that Pennington Flash is a six species site for bats!! And there are very few of these in South Lancashire. Attendees, Steve and Fiona Parker, Sheree Wilson, Gareth Harrison, Daniel Mapson, John and Margaret Gibson, Victoria Allen, Ian Venables and Sonia Allen.
25/05/2005
The new trainings session was a good laugh and fairly light-hearted –it needed to be after the Ecology session! This workshop centred on Health and Safety and Public Relations, which is essential to highlight the plight of bats to the public, particularly in relation to roosts. Unfortunately Steve's bad jokes made an outing on the workshop although the best part of the night was reserved for the end of the workshop when Fiona was asked to check a couple of recently brought in injured bats, one of which turned out to be a whiskered!! The first of the year. Everyone took the opportunity to have a good look at it, although Clare was disappointed in relation to the Bat ID session, as it had not been identified when it was brought in! Attendees – Steve Parker, Fiona Parker, Clare Hughes, Matt Browne, Paul Robinson, Victoria Allen, Pat Hilton, Sonia Allen, Gareth Harrison, John Harrison-Bryant and Daniel Mapson.
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Last Updated 03/07/06
© South Lancashire Bat Group. Registered Charity No. 1109519