How to spot bats in Bristol this spring and summer

Posted on: 17 Apr 2024

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We’ve got excellent news – important news, even. It’s Bat Appreciation Day.

These unjustly-maligned flying friends are a crucial part of ecosystems in both the UK and the wider world in the form of seed dispersal, pollination, and insect pest consumption – as well as being intelligent and charismatic little critters.

 

 

Sadly, bats are under serious threat from habitat destruction, climate change and invasive species – and to add insult to injury, bats are often demonised by humans as carriers of dangerous diseases, as their high metabolism allows them to carry the diseases without being affected by them. In truth, there isn’t any risk of infection as long as humans don’t try to handle the naturally reclusive creatures – and only a small number of bats in the UK have been found to carry disease.

Bats are fascinating, wonderful creatures that dwell right under our noses – so, for Bat Appreciation Day, we’ve put together a guide tot help you spot these charming chiropterans around Bristol.

 

General Tips

Firstly, it bears repeating: don’t try to handle the little fellows. Bats pose no threat to humans if observed passively – and besides, handling them is likely to stress and even harm them.

As for where and when to look, bats prefer warm, dry weather. You’re more likely to see bats in the warmer months – which we’re coming into now (April-September). Wait for a dry day with a warm evening. As bats are nocturnal, the best time to spot them is at sunrise or sunset.

Bats avoid open ground where possible, as it makes them vulnerable to predation, so look in an area with good tree cover (or abandoned manmade structures). All of Britain’s bats are insectivores, so a good place to look is around bodies of water like lakes and rivers, where insects are likely to congregate.

 

Known locations

Avon Bat Group, a volunteer group who work to conserve bats and their habitats around Bristol, Bath and the surrounding area, have ‘bat boxes’ installed across eight nature reserves around the area – great sure-fire places to look out for bats. The boxes within and closest to Bristol can be found in Arnos Vale Cemetery – a great location for wildlife spotting and nature walks in general – the wetlands around Brislington’s Eastwood Farm, and Ashton Court’s Leigh Woods.

 

 

If you’re looking for the habitat of a rarer bat, Avon Wildlife Trust recommend Browne’s Folly (also home to an ABG bat box) for a chance to the see the Greater Horseshoe Bat. Used to nesting in caves, the Greater Horseshoe is the largest horseshoe bat in Europe – and is unfortunately declining in number – having disappeared from over half of its former range within the United Kingdom, with about 1% of the population surviving. Browne’s Folly provides a wonderful haven for the horseshoe in the form of its old mines – perfect for the cave-loving bats.

Avon Bat Group also have boxes at Chew Valley and Blagdon Lake, Conham River Park, Bickely Wood & Golden Valley Nature Reserve and Badock's Wood.

 

So, happy Bat Appreciation day – even if you don’t go bat-spotting, spare a thought and raise a glass for the winged wonders and everything they do for our ecosystem.

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