Hibernating mammals
Of all the mammals on our species list, only the bats and hedgehogs truly hibernate. We have found the tiniest piece of evidence that there might be dormice in the reserve; if so, that would be a third hibernating species.
Continue reading “Hibernating mammals”Fact of the week
A ringed female Nathusius’ pipistrelle (Pipistrellus nathusii), weighing in at just 8g, recently set a British record by flying 2,018km from London to the Russian village of Molgino, near Moscow – where it was killed by a cat.
A Nathusius’ bat was first identified in the reserve in 2019 by Richard Green, Lead Ecologist for the RPS Ecology Survey of Church Lane. This is just one of twelve species of bats identified in the reserve.
Header imge: Nathusius pipistrelle wing by Rauno Kalda (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons
Hibernating mammals
Of all the mammals on our species list, only the bats and hedgehogs truly hibernate. We have found the tiniest piece of evidence that there might be dormice in the park, if so, that would be a third hibernating species.
Continue reading “Hibernating mammals”
Here is the second part of our comment on planning application 20/00379/OUT.
Continue readingEndangered flight corridor
Of the 18 species of bats native to Britain, 13 have been identified in Southwick Country Park, in Southwick Court, and in the green fields between Trowbridge and Southwick. The thirteen includes the rare and endangered lesser horseshoe bat, a Priority Species in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan, and the internationally protected Bechstein’s bat, one of the rarest mammals in the UK.
Read on to see how proposed development will harm the bats’ habitatMail from Southwick Court
by Simon Tesler
As you will have seen, revised plans have been submitted by developers for the proposed 180-house estate on the land between Southwick Court and Trowbridge’s southern edge (known as H2.6).
Continue reading “Mail from Southwick Court”Bat numbers
Ten numerical facts about bats:
Continue reading “Bat numbers”Planning for our bats
WHSAP has allocated six housing sites in Trowbridge.
Continue reading “Planning for our bats”Death by acronym!
As required by NPPF 2019, WC has made FMMs to WHSAP to include policy statements for the sites at H2.4, H2.5 and H2.6 which take full account of the TBMS and the BoA SAC.
What does any of this mean? Click here:
Where are Southwick Country Park’s bats?
By Ali Rasey
Some of you have been on our bat walks over the last few years. We have heard (using bat detectors) and seen many different species of bats, including noctules, serotines, pipistrelles, Myotis species, and brown long-eared bats. There is also a record of a greater horseshoe bat (very exciting) – but we haven’t heard or seen that on our bat walks. The best time for us to see/hear bats I think is in August and September; at this time juveniles as well as the adults are flying, and sunset is earlier so the bats are out earlier in the evening.
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Alcathoe bat
Picture by Manuel Ruedi CC-BY-SA-3.0
A very rare bat, Myotis alcathoe, has been discovered in the caves near Bradford on Avon where many species of bat swarm during the breeding season in early autumn.
Continue reading “Alcathoe bat”Trowbridge Bat Mitigation Strategy
The draft Trowbridge Bat Mitigation Strategy was published yesterday, February 21st. It contains information and proposals that will certainly be significant to both the WHSAP Examination and to RPS’s application to develop the Church Lane site.
Click here for the detailsHibernating mammals
Of all the mammals on our species list, only the bats and the hedgehogs hibernate. We have found the tiniest piece of evidence that there might be dormice in the park, if so, that would be a third hibernating species.
Night Flyers
Bats and WHSAP
Nine species of bats have been identified in the park, among them members of the UK’s rare, internationally important population of Bechstein’s bats that roost in Green Lane Wood.
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Natterers bat by Guido Gerding (CC3.0)
Daubenton’s bat Guido Gerding (CC.3.0)
Nathusius pipistrelle by fs-phil ((CC2.0)
Common Pipistrelle by Barracuda 1983 (CC3.0)
Southwick Country Park Nature Reserve 