9.
BATS IN ESSEX
If someone asked me which group of
mammals in Britain was most in need of pro-
tection, I would almost certainly reply the
15 species of bat that occur in houses, trees
and caves all over the country.
Of these 15 species only about nine
occur in Essex, although it is quite possible
that others are still waiting to be dis-
covered or re-discovered. As recently as
1972 a new species of bat was identified in
Britain, but because it so much resembled
the Whiskered Bat no-one managed to
distinguish the two until accurate measure-
ments of the two species were taken.
While bats can look very similar to one
another they often have very different habits.
Daubenton's Bat, which lives in trees and
buildings during the summer, is attracted to
areas of water and on warm summer evenings
it is possible to see them picking up insects
from the water surface. Some people say
they they have sometimes taken small fish
from the water. In complete contrast, the
Noctule flies very high up and often, unless
you have sharp eyes you can only hear the
bats shrill, clear, cricket-like voice.
A question that is frequently asked is
"What do bats feed on?". The Long-Eared Bat
takes many moths but also feeds on beetles
and Diptera. Once it has captured its prey
it will return to shelter and devour it
discarding the wings which are not very tasty.
The Pipistrelle is partial to gnats, but
the larger bats such as the Noctules and