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to follow these roosts in 1985.
To date, we know of 97 roost sites in Essex
where bats have been in occupation for periods
of days to months. The ideal would be for every
bat roost to be known and for every owner to
count his bats and send the numbers "to me.
Because of the growing awareness and interest in
the plight of bats, June 1984 saw the setting
up of an Essex Bat Group. This group bridges a
gap between the Essex Field Club (mainly
interested in recording and field work during its
100 year existence) and the Essex Naturalists
Trust which is primarily concerned with conservation
in Essex. Several members of the group are
licensed by the Nature Conservancy to deal with
enquiries and volunteers are encouraged because
on occasions they can assist with roost counts.
Next year, when 97 roosts need to be contacted
in contrast with 42 this year, it is hoped that
more people will be involved in helping to
conserve bats. Membership is £1.00 a year and
a report is anticipated in mid-winter,
summarising the previous years work.
The distribution work is also making good
progress. Two bat detectors have been purchased
with grants from the Essex Field Club and
South Woodham Ferrers Natural History Society and
these enable Noctules and Serotines to be
identified without the need to be caught -
particularly difficult for high-flying bats. The
detectors also enable us to identify Pipistrelles
but experience is insufficient with the other
species. To date Pipistrelle, Noctule, Serotine,
Brown Long-Eared, Natterer's and Daubentons have
been identified in Essex. A further 3 species
(Whiskered, Brandt's and Leislers) probably occur,
but have still to be found.