Rare bats found at wetlands

THERE is evidence that one of the UK's rarest bats, the Nathusius' Pipistrelle, is using the RSPB's Weymouth Wetlands nature reserve and may even be breeding there. Volunteers from the Dorset Bat Group are doing a long-term study at the Radipole Lake site to find out what effect, if any, the restoration works carried out there last winter would have. Now, county conservationists have been astonished by the dramatically increased levels of bat activity. "Little is known about how bat populations respond to wetland restoration so Natural England funded this study to help us find out and the level of that response has really taken us by surprise," said Weymouth Wetlands manager Nick Tomlinson.

The aim was to create a diverse wetland habitat, improving the site for a wide range wildlife including bats. "We now have a good idea of the areas that this bat favours when it's feeding so next year we plan to radio track them to see if we can identify the roost. If we can, it will be the first such roost in Dorset and one of only a very few known in the whole of the UK," said Nick.