Britain's Rarest Bat Found in East Devon

Grey Long-Eared Bat
Source: Cosmos Magazine

Bats are pretty cool. They can fly. They can use sonar. There are more than 1000 different species of bat in the world - some of whom are essential seed distributors for the rain forest. And the can sleep upside down! Exeter, with it's old churches, roman wall, rivers, marshes and forest is lucky enough to have a bat population that is visible and welcome. You need only take an evening stroll on the quayside to spot some balletic bats catching their supper in the dull light of the evening. Exeter and Devon's bats are even appreciated by local councils who lead educational walks to teach us more about our furry flying friends.

It was in on one such educational walk, hosted by East Devon Council's Wet & Wild Weekend in Axminster, University of Exeter scientist, Dr Fiona Matthews discovered one of Britain's rarest bats: the Grey Long-Eared Bat. Dr. Matthews from Exeter University's Biosciences team said she was please to have come across such a rare discovery at a public event, “I immediately suspected that this was a Grey long-eared bat, and to share the excitement with so many people at a public event was fantastic. Because it looks rather similar to its common cousin, the Brown long-eared, we had to get genetic confirmation that it really was the are species."

The newly discovered bat has now been tagged for further research and is thought to be part of an Axminster roost that adds to only six other known Grey Long-Eared Bat colonies in the UK.

Bat man comes to Exeter for a dark night walk

Duryard Valley Park (Source Exeter Memories)

Dr. David Fee, the lead bat man for the Devon Bat Group will be leading a free guided walk in Exeter on Saturday 4 August.

Starting from the Duryard Picnic Site car park, off Pennsylvania Road at 8:15pm, Fee will lead enthusiast through the Belvidere Meadows Nature Reserve in search of these creatures of the night. Like another well known bat enthusiast, Fee will be using gadgets to get the job done. Fee's bat detectors will identify bats like the Natterer's Bat (Myotis natteri) or one of 17 other bat species found in the UK.

Natterer's Bat

Organised by the fine folks at Exeter City Council's Parks & Open Spaces, the Devon Moth Group will also be on hand to try and lure the bat’s prey - moths - into a special moth trap. The wild night out should wrap up by about 10pm.

There is no need to book - just turn up on the day. For further information, contact Exeter City Council Countryside Service on 01392 265890.