The Devon Bat Group (DBG) was founded in 1984 to help protect
bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most ...
s and their
habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
s, to look after injured bats and to advise and educate people about bats.
History
The Devon Bat Group was formed in the English county of
Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...
in 1984 by people concerned about the decline of British bats. Devon, in the South West of England, is of special importance as it supports most of the British bat species and DBG members work to maintain this diversity and increase our knowledge about bats. It is one of a network of bat groups in the UK which are members of
The Bat Conservation Trust. The Bat Conservation Trust was formed in 1991 as an umbrella organisation for the network of
bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most ...
groups in the UK.
Group members and activities
The Group members range from people who are interested in learning more about bats and those wanting to join in group activities to professional ecologists. Activities include roost visits, organising
bat box schemes, with regular box checks, and bat surveys. Educational talks, arranging bat walks and caring for sick and injured bats are also organised by DBG members. Members with bat licences carry out Bat Roost Visitor work for
Natural England
Natural England is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, ...
. General Group meetings are held every three months and the DBG also has local sections in
Exeter,
Plymouth and North Devon to organise more local activities.
The group works in partnership with many other organisations across Devon. At several reservoirs across Devon, they have worked with the
South West Lakes Trust to monitor bat populations at
Roadford Lake
Roadford Lake, also known as Roadford Reservoir is a man-made reservoir fed by the River Wolf. It is located to the north-east of Broadwoodwidger in West Devon, eight miles (13 km) east of Launceston and is the largest area of fresh water ...
and other reservoirs. They participate in the Devon Greater Horseshoe Bat Project alongside
Devon Wildlife Trust
The Devon Wildlife Trust is a member of The Wildlife Trusts partnership covering the county of Devon, England. It is a registered charity, established in 1962 as the Devon Naturalists Trust, and its aim is to safeguard the future of the county's ...
,
Clinton Devon Estates
Clinton Devon Estates is a land management and property development company which manages the Devonshire estates belonging to Baron Clinton, the largest private landowner in Devon, England. Lord Clinton is of the Fane-Trefusis family, and is s ...
,
Devon County Council and others. In 2014 and 2015 they helped to run a
citizen science project called The Big Exeter Bat Survey to find out about where (and which) bats live in
Exeter. As part of the work to re-open
Hemerdon Mine, survey data from the group were used as evidence to draw up a plan to mitigate the impact of mining on the bats.
Bat species found in Devon
16 out of 18 UK resident species of bat have been found in Devon. The exceptions are ''
Myotis myotis'', the Greater Mouse-Eared bat and ''
Myotis alcathoe'' the Alcathoe bat.
Barbastelle
* ''
Barbastella barbastellus
The western barbastelle (''Barbastella barbastellus''), also known as the barbastelle or barbastelle bat, is a European bat in the genus '' Barbastella''. This species is found from Portugal to Azerbaijan and from Sweden to Canary Islands, whe ...
'': barbastelle
Serotine
* ''
Eptesicus serotinus
The serotine bat (''Eptesicus serotinus''), also known as the common serotine bat, big brown bat, or silky bat, is a fairly large Eurasian bat with quite large ears. It has a wingspan of around and often hunts in woodland. It sometimes roosts ...
'': serotine bat
''Myotis''
* ''
Myotis bechsteinii'': Bechstein's bat
* ''
Myotis brandtii
Brandt's bat or Brandt's myotis (''Myotis brandtii'') is a species of vesper bat in the family Vespertilionidae. It is native throughout most of Europe and parts of western Asia.
Taxonomy and etymology
The species was described in 1845 by Ger ...
'': Brandt's bat;
* ''
Myotis daubentonii'': Daubenton's bat
* ''
Myotis mystacinus'': whiskered bat
* ''
Myotis nattereri'': Natterer's bat;
Noctules
* ''
Nyctalus leisleri'': Leisler's bat
* ''
Nyctalus noctula'': noctule bat
Pipistrelles
* ''
Pipistrellus nathusii'': Nathusius' pipistrelle
* ''
Pipistrellus pipistrellus'': common pipistrelle
* ''
Pipistrellus pygmaeus'': soprano pipistrelle
Long-eared bats
* ''
Plecotus auritus
''Plecotus'' is a genus of vesper bat, commonly called long-eared bats. They are found throughout Eurasia and northern Africa. Many species in the genus have only been described and recognized in recent years.
Species
Genus ''Plecotus'' – lon ...
'': brown long-eared bat
* ''
Plecotus austriacus
The grey long-eared bat (''Plecotus austriacus'') is a fairly large European bat. It has distinctive ears, long and with a distinctive fold. It hunts above woodland, often by day, and mostly for moths. In captivity, it has also been recorded t ...
'': grey long-eared bat
Horseshoe bats
* ''
Rhinolophus ferrumequinum
The greater horseshoe bat (''Rhinolophus ferrumequinum'') is an insectivorous bat of the genus '' Rhinolophus''. Its distribution covers Europe, Northern Africa, Central Asia and Eastern Asia. It is the largest of the horseshoe bats in Europe an ...
'': greater horseshoe bat;
* ''
Rhinolophus hipposideros'': lesser horseshoe bat;
See also
*
List of bat roosts
References
{{reflist
External links
Devon Bat Group
Bat conservation
~
Organisations based in Devon
Animals in England
1984 establishments in England