The VincenT Wildlife TrusT’s irish baT box schemes...2.1 Glengarriff Wood 2.2 Clare County Bat...
Transcript of The VincenT Wildlife TrusT’s irish baT box schemes...2.1 Glengarriff Wood 2.2 Clare County Bat...
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The VincenT Wildlife TrusT’s irish baT box schemesKate McAney & Ruth HanniffyJuly 2015
contents
acknowledgements
1.1 Introduction1.2 Installation & Surveying1.3 Portumna1.4 Coole-Garryland 1.5 Knockma1.6 Data Processing & Analysis1.7 Results1.8 Discussion
executive summary 1
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51. VWT bat box Project
aim of the study
2.1 Glengarriff Wood2.2 Clare County Bat Group 2.3 Waterford2.4 Wicklow National Park2.5 Mount Falcon2.6 Bat Boxes & Agri-environment Schemes2.7 Summary
2. other bat box schemes in ireland
3.1 Background3.2 Online Survey3.3 Results3.4 Discussion
3. bat boxes as mitigation measures
appendices
references
4.1 Introduction4.2 VWT Irish Bat Box Project4.3 Online Survey Opinions4.4 Bat Conservations Trust’s Bat Box Information Pack4.5 Bat Conservation Ireland’s Bat Box Guidance Notes for Agri-environmental Schemes4.6 Bat Boxes as a monitoring tool4.7 Guidelines for a robust experimental study of bat box use in Ireland
4. recommendations
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• ThisreportpresentsananalysisofTheVincentWildlifeTrust’sIrishbatboxprojectandresultsofanonlinesurveyandwaspossibleduetoagrantfromtheDepartmentofArts,HeritageandtheGaeltacht
• TheTruststarteditsbatboxprojectinIrelandin1999asameanstoconfirmthepresenceofthebarbastellebatandhasmadeatotalof153visitstoboxesinthreewoodsinCountyGalway,comprising7,370boxinspections
• Althoughthebarbastellebatwasnotfoundinanyofthe162boxeserected,theprojecthasyieldedusefulinformationonsevenofthenineresidentbatspeciesandontheeffectiveness,orotherwise,ofbatboxes
• 62SchweglerboxesofthreemodelswereerectedinPortumnaForestPark,301FF,302FNand21FW;502FNboxeswereerectedinCoole-GarrylandNatureReserveand502FNboxeswereerectedinKnockmaNatureReserveofwhich40werelatertransferredtoGlengarriffNatureReserveCountyCork
• InitiallyboxeswerecheckedmonthlyfromApriltoOctober,boxeswereoccupiedquicklybutittooktimeforregularoccupationandforbreedinggroupstoform
• ComparisonofboxmodelwasonlypossibleatPortumnawheretherewasequalnumbersof1FFand2FNboxesbutotherfactorswerestudiedatallthreeGalwaywoods
• Duetothedifficultyinseparatingpipistrelleswithouthandling,sopranoandcommonpipistrellesweregroupedasPipistrellusspp.
• Leisler’s,brownlong-earedandPipistrellusspp.wererecordedinboxesatallthreeGalwaywoods,Daubenton’sbatwasonlyrecordedinGarryland,Natterer’sbatwasonlyrecordedinGlengarriffandwhiskered/Brandt’swasrecordedjusttwice
• PortumnaForestParkhadthehighesttotalnumberofbatscounted;Pipistrellusspp.–2,607;long-eared–1,045;Leisler’s–382andtherewasa31%chanceofencounteringabatatPortumnaForestParkcomparedto11.5%and10%atCoole-GarrylandandKnockmarespectively
• Pipistrellusspp.preferred1FFboxesthatoffercrevice-likeroostingconditions,showedaseasonalpreferencewithmorebatspresentlaterintheseason(visualobservationsconfirmedthebatswereusingtheboxesasmatingroosts),theirnumbersincreasedwithtimebutappeartobestabilising,andtheypreferredboxeslocatedclosetotheshoresofLoughDerginPortumna
• ThedietofPipistrellusspp.wasdeterminedusingbatdroppingscollectedmonthlyfromboxesduring1999and2000
• Long-earedbatspreferred2FNboxesthatmimicholesintrees,thenaturalroostingsitesforthisspecies,theyshowednoseasonalpatterntotheiroccurrenceintheboxes–possiblyasmalesofthisspeciesdonotsetupmatingrooststoattractfemales
executive suMMARy
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• Leisler’sbatshowednopreferenceforboxmodelbutshowedaseasonalpreferencewithmorebatspresentlaterintheseason(visualobservationsconfirmedthebatswereusingtheboxesasmatingroosts)andtheirnumbersincreasedfrom2013
• Many2FNboxeswereinaccessibletobatsduringthemonthofMaybecausebirdshadbuiltnestsinthismodelofbox,andinthe1FWs,thereforethesemodelsandsimilartypesneedmodifyingtoexcludebirds
• Batsthatflewawayfromboxesuponopeningwereobservedflyingeitherintootherboxesornaturalcavitiesinnearbytrees
• Aspectwasnotasignificantfactorforoccupancybutmostboxesreceiveddappledsunshineforpartoftheday
• AnonlinesurveywasusedtogatherinformationonthesuccessofbatboxeserectedformitigationpurposesandshowedthatSchweglerboxesarethemostpopularboxtyperecommendedandareselectedoverwoodenboxeswhenavailable,themainreasonformitigationislossofroostsandallbutonecontributortotheonlinesurveywouldrecommendbatboxesinthefuturetoreplacelossofroosts.Batboxesareconsideredsuitablealternativeroostsforlossoftreeroostsbutnotmaternityroostsinbuildings
• CommonandNathusius’pipistrelles,long-earedsandLeisler’shaveusedboxeserectedformitigationpurposes(theonlyrecordofNathusius’batusingabatboxwasasaresultofmitigationwork)andboxesaremorelikelytobeoccupiedbybatsiftheseareerectedinanareaalreadyusedbybatsbeforetheonsetofdevelopmentwork
• Verylittlepost-erectionmonitoringisconductedafterdevelopmentworkduetolackoffundingandcallsintoquestionthevalidityofproposingboxesasamitigationmeasure
• SchweglerbattubesarerecommendedtoreplacethelossofroostsfrombridgesforDaubenton’sbat,whenattachedtotheundersideofarches
• Detailedguidelinesonmakinganderectingbatboxesareavailablefromwww.batconservationireland.organdwww.bats.org.ukandself-cleaningboxesarerecommendedtopreventdroppingsaccumulatingandblockingaccessbybats
• Batboxesarenowconsideredasuitablemonitoringtoolforsomebatspecies
• Thereisresearchpotentialonlong-eared,Natterer’sandDaubenton’sbatsusingbatboxesinthreewoodlands
• RecommendationsarepresentedforthedesignofasystematicstudyofthevalueofbatboxesinIreland
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• CreateanIrishdatasetfromthemainVWTbatboxdataset
• EvaluatetheIrishdatasetforevidenceoffactorsinfluencingtheoccupancyof
boxes
• Undertakestatisticalanalysisofthesefactorstoassesstheirsignificance
• Conductareviewofotherbatboxschemestoallowcomparisons
• Surveyecologicalconsultantsforinformationontheuseofbatboxesas
mitigationmeasures
• Makerecommendationsforfutureschemes
AiM of tHe study
AcKnowledgeMentsWewouldliketothanktheNationalParksandWildlifeService(NPWS)oftheDepartmentofArts,HeritageandtheGaeltachtforprovidingfundingforthisreport.
WearegratefultothefollowingNPWSstaffwhohaveassistedorcontinuetoassistuswithboxinspections:SineádBiggane,HelenCarty,WilliamCormican,ClareHeardman,JohnHiggins,StefanJones,JacintaMurphy,CiáraO’Mahony,RaymondStephensandRebeccaTeesdale.
Thefollowinghavealsoparticipatedovertheyearsandtheirassistanceisgreatlyappreciated:TinaAughney,MartinByrnes,DanielBuckley,CaitrionaCarlin,JoeCostelloe,JimmyGreen,SegoleneGuegen,ConorKelleher,FionnualaLyons,ElaineO’Riordan,JoanneReilly,PatRoberts,RobSteedandAndyTaylor.ThanksalsotoFidelmaButlerandColinLawtonforsupplyingreportsandtheses.
Wearegratefultothefollowingwhosupplieduswithdataonbatboxstudies:DanielBuckleyandtheCorkCountyBatGroup;DaveLyonsandtheClareCountyBatGroup;AndrewHarringtonatWaterfordInstituteofTechnology;EndaMullenatWicklowMountainNationalParkandTinaAughneyatBatConservationIreland.ThanksalsotoTinaAughney,JoeCostelloe,SerenaDool,ClareHeardman,DaveLyonsandLorcanScottforpermissiontousetheirphotographs.
WewishtoparticularlythankHelenKidwell,graphicdesignerwiththeVWT,forformattingthisreportunderchallengingtimeconstraints,SteveLangtonforanalysingthedataundersimilarconditionsandtoourcolleagueColinMorrisforhisexpertiseandpatienceexplainingthejoysandtribulationsoftheVWTBatBoxDatabase.WeappreciatetheassistanceofTinaAughneywithdesigningtheOnlineSurvey,EndaMullen,CarolineShielandPaulScottfortheirdetailedreplytothisandNiamhRocheforherinputattheinitialstagesofdataanalysis.
Finally,wewishtothankalltheecologistswhotookthetimetoparticipateinourOnlineSurveyorwhosentusadditionalinformationduringwhatisperhapsthebusiesttimeoftheyearforbatworkers.
4Photograph: barbastelle bat © frank Greenaway
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TheVWTinitiateditsIrishbatboxprojectinMarch1999inanattempttoconfirmthepresenceofthebarbastellebat(Barbastellabarbastellus)inIreland.TwovisitingEuropeanbatworkersbelievedthattheyhadrecordeditforthefirsttimeinthecountryinPortumnain1997usingbatdetectors.ProfessorIngemarAhlénandDoctorHansBaagøevisitedIrelandinJulyofthatyearprimarilytorecordLeisler’sbat(Nyctalusleisleri)andtheyvisitedanumberoflocations:11-12thPhoenixPark,Dublin;12-13thRiverSlaney,Wicklow;13-14thKillimer&Kilrush,CountyClare;14-15thPortumnaCastle,Priory&Marina,CountyGalwayand15-16thBlessingtonReservoir,CountyWicklow.
TheyrecordedLeisler’sbatatallthelistedlocationsandotherknownIrishbatspecies’recordedwerebrownlong-eared(Plecotusauritus),Natterer’s(Myotisnattereri),whiskered(M.mystacinus),Daubenton’s(M.daubentonii),Pipistrellusspp.(Pipistrelluspipistrellus–beforespeciesseparation)andNathusius’pipistrelle(P.nathusii).Ahlén&Baagøealsobelievedtheyrecordednoctulebats(N.noctula)inthePhoenixPark(McAney,pers.comm.).
TherecordsforbothbarbastelleandnoctulebatwereacceptedbytheAtlasofEuropeanMammals(Mitchell-Jonesetal.,1999)andbothspecieswerelistedaspresentinIrelandinBatsofBritain,EuropeandNorthwestAfrica(Dietzetal.,2009).
TheVWTandDublinBatGroupundertookdetectorandmistnettingsurveysofPortumnaPrioryandForestParkin1998toverifythebarbastellerecord,butwithoutsuccess.TheTrustthendecidedtoextenditsRareWoodlandBatBoxProject,whichwasunderwayinEnglandandWalesforbothbarbastelleandBechstein’s(M.bechsteinii),toIrelandanderected62SchweglerbatboxesinPortumnaForestParkinMarch1999,and50boxesattwootherwoodlandsinCountyGalway;Coole-Garryland,GortandKnockma,Tuam.
1. vwt BAt Box PRoject
AlthoughthebarbastellebathasnotbeenfoundinVWTbatboxes,noranywhereelseinIrelandduring17yearsofsurveying,sevenoftheeightresidentIrishspeciesthatareabletoaccessboxeshavebeen;sopranopipistrelle(Pipistrelluspygmaeus),commonpipistrelle(Pipistrelluspipistrellus),Leisler’s,brownlong-eared,Natterer’s,Daubenton’sandwhiskered/Brandt’s.Nathusius’pipistrellehasnotbeenrecordednorhasthelesserhorseshoe(Rhinolophushipposideros),butthelatterisunabletoaccessbatboxes.
TheTrustcontinuestomonitortheboxesinPortumnabuthandedovertheKnockmaandCoole-GarrylandschemestotheNationalParksandWildlifeService(NPWS)in2002and2010respectively.FortyboxeswereremovedfromKnockmabeforethehandoveranderectedinaconiferwoodnearClonburforoneyearbeforebeingrelocatedtotwositesinGlengarriff,CountyCork.TheseboxesarenowownedbytheCorkCountyBatGroup.
DatafromthreeotherbatboxprojectswerekindlysuppliedforinclusioninthisreportandaredescribedinSection2,aswellasinformationonanexperimentalprojectinWicklowNationalParkandareviewoftheuseofbatboxeswithinpastandcurrentagri-environmentalschemes.
Batboxesareoftenrecommendedasamitigationmeasuretoprovidealternativeroostsduringdevelopmentswhereknownorpotentialroostsareatriskorarebeingremoved.However,littleinformationexistsonhoweffectivebatboxesareinthissituationso,aspartofthisstudy,anonlinesurveywasconductedtoelicitfeedbackfromconsultantsontheirexperiencesofbatboxesasmitigationmeasures.TheresultsofthisarepresentedinSection3.
ThisreportontheVWT’sIrishbatboxprojecthasbeenpossibleduetoagrantfromtheNPWS,DepartmentofArts,HeritageandtheGaeltacht.
1.1 introduction
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OnehundredandsixtytwoSchwegler(www.schwegler-natur.de)woodcretebatboxes(compressedwoodchipandconcretemix)wereerectedinthreewoodlandsinCountyGalwayinMarch1999.ThreetypesofboxeswereusedinPortumnaForestPark,2FN,1FFand1FW,and2FNsonlyinCoole-GarrylandandKnockma.Nine2F,two1FFandone2FNboxeswereerectedatKnockmaafterthisschemewastransferredtotheNPWSin2002.Table1providesdetailsofthefourtypesofboxes.
Initiallytheboxeswerenotnailedontothetreesduetoconcernabouttheeffectthiswouldhaveonthetrees,insteadgalvanizedgardenfencewirewasusedtohangthemataheightofapproximately4mwiththeintentiontoadjustthewireatregularintervalstopreventitbecomingembeddedbytreegrowth.However,asboxeswerehunginpairs,whichresultedinwireoverlapping,thisprovedimpossibletoundertake,necessitatingtherehangingofsomeboxesusingaluminiumnailsatalaterdate.
1.2 installation & surveying
Nosystematicapproachwasadoptedforlocatingtheboxeswithinthewoods;rathertheselectionoftreeswasbasedoneaseofvehicularaccessfrompathsortrackswhenerectingtheboxesandbythelackofbranchesthatcouldinhibiteaseofaccessbybats.However,boxeswereclusteredatvariouspointswithinthethreewoodlandsandinPortumnaForestParkthe2FNand1FFpairedboxeswerehungonadjacenttrees.Theaspectofeachboxwasnotedwhenitwaslocatedonatree,aswasthetreespecies.ThelocationsoftheboxesinthethreeGalwaywoodsareshowninFigure1.
DuringthefirstfouryearsofthestudyboxeswereinspectedonceamonthfromApriltoSeptemberandoccasionallyoutsidethesemonthsastimepermittedbut,oncegroupsofbatstookupresidence,visitsweregenerallynotmadeduringJuneandJulyinsubsequentyearstominimizedisturbance.Twopeoplewerealwaysinvolvedinboxinspectionandthefollowinginformationwasrecordedforeachbox:speciesofbatpresentandanestimateofthenumberofindividuals,numberandconditionofbatdroppings,andtheoccurrenceofbirdnests.Photograph: 2FN box on tree.
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Freshbatdroppingswerecollectedintheearlyyearsofthestudyandstoredandalldroppingswereremovedateachvisit.Torcheswereoftenusedtoverifythepresenceofbats,especiallywhencheckingthe1FFboxesasitwasoftendifficulttodeterminethespecieswhenseveralbatswerepresent.
Occasionallybatswouldmovewithintheboxwhileitwasbeingcheckedandwhenthisgaverisetoariskoftheirbeinginjuredonclosingthebox,thebat(s)wereremovedandthenguidedbackintotheboxviaoneoftheentrancepointsoncethedooroftheboxwassecured.Abathandlingbagwasoftenusedtoblockanentranceforaminuteorsoinordertoencouragethebattoremainwithinthebox.Onhotdaysbatsdidflyoutofaboxonceitwasopenedbutgenerallyitwaspossibletoobservethemuntiltheyenteredanotherboxoranaturalcrevice,eitheronthesametreeastheoriginalboxorcloseby.Anotewastakenofanybatmovementbetweenboxestopreventduplicationofrecords.
Photograph: Checking a 2FN box.
figure 1: Map showing locations of VWT bat box schemes
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Photographs: (left) 2FN bat box with a large amount of droppings, (above) Checking a 1FF box with a torch.
ApproximatelytwentypeoplehaveassistedtheTrustwithcheckingtheboxes,rangingfromconservationrangersoftheNPWS,batconsultants,membersoftheGalwayBatGroupandvolunteers.Alicensedbatworkerwasalwayspresentduringtheinspectionsandbatshandledonlytopreventinjury,asdescribedabove,orforthepurposeoftraining.In2012allbrownlong-earedbatsfoundinPortumnaForestwerehandledsothatbiometricdatacouldbecollectedbyBatConservationIreland.
Boxeswererelocatedonthreeoccasions.By2002itwasapparentthatmanyoftheboxesinKnockmaWoodwerenotbeingusedoronlyoccasionallyso40wereremovedanderectedforatrialperiodofoneyearinBallykyneWoodnearClonbur,CountyGalway,afterwhichtheywereerectedintwowoodlandsitesinGlengarriff,CountyCork,withtwoadditionalboxestobringthetotalthereto42.Similarlytheten2FNboxesinCooleParkwereremovedanderectedinGarrylandWoodin2003.
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table 1: Types of Schwegler bat boxes used in the four sites.
box TyPe
2FN
dimensions
Circumference: 16 cmHeight: 36 cmWeight: 4.3 g
descriPTion
Two entrances, one at the rear and one at the front. Domed roof to allow bats to cluster.Front panel unscrews to allow inspection.
PhoToGraPh
1FF Height: 43 cmDepth: 14 cmWidth: 27 cmEntrance: 12-24 cm wide x 21 cm longWeight: 9.9 kg
Designed for crevice-dwelling bats.Rear panel of roughened wood.Door swings downwards to allow inspection.
1FW Circumference: 38 cmHeight: 50 cmWeight: 28 kg
Large to accommodate clusters of bats in summer.Insulated for winter use.Insert of three timber panels.
2F Circumference: 16 cmHeight: 33 cmWeight: 3.8 kg
Conical top.One entrance hole at the front.
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PortumnaForestParkconsistsofapproximately450hectaresandisownedandmanagedbyCoillte(www.coillte.ie).Inadditiontothewoodlandtheparkalsocontainsarangeofotherhabitats,includingmarsh,opengreenspacesandturloughs.
TheforestparkislocatedinthesoutheastofCountyGalwayclosetothetownofPortumna(M8403).ItisborderedtothesouthbyLoughDergandtothenorthbytheR352Portumna–Scariffroad.TheareawasoriginallyownedbytheClanrickardfamilyandwasacquiredbythestatein1948.Afterstateacquisitionmuchoftheoriginalnativewoodlandwasplantedwithconifers,includingScotspine(Pinussylvestris),Norwayspruce(Piceaabies),Sitkaspruce(Piceasitchensis)andJapaneselarch(Larixkaempferi)whiletheremainderconsistsofotherconifersandbroadleaves,includingbeech(Fagussylvatica).Currentlyover200hectaresoftheforestisdesignatedasOldWoodlandandthecurrentforestmanagementplaninvolvesthegradualconversionoftheconiferstobroadleavesbynaturalregenerationandreplanting,withover40hectaresundertheNativeWoodlandsScheme.
1.3 Portumna
Photograph: (above) 1FF boxes on a tree in Portumna Forest Park , (left) 2FN boxes on a tree in Portumna Forest Park.
ThestandsofScotspinearebeingmanagedasContinuousCoverForestry(CCF)tobenefitthepopulationofredsquirrel(Sciurusvulgaris)thatlivesintheforest.Thispopulationwasthesourceofanimalsusedinasuccessfultranslocationprojectduring2003–2006(Poole,2007).Approximately32%ofthetotalforestarea,mainlyalongthelakeshore,isdesignatedaSpecialAreaofConservation(sitecodeSAC2241)andaSpecialProtectionArea(SiteCodeSPA4058).Theareaisalsodesignatedas‘HighConservationValueForestry(HCVF)byCoillte.
Atotalof62SchweglerbatboxeswereerectedonavarietyoftreesintheforestparkinMarch1999;302FNs,301FFsandtwo1FWboxes(Figure2).
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figure 2: Location of bat boxes in Portumna Forest Park
Photographs: (above left) Bat boxes at Beech Grove, (top right) Habitat close to the Visitor centre, (bottom right) Bat boxes at the lake shore.
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Coole-GarrylandNatureReserveconsistsofapproximately404hectares,madeupofthewoodlandandgroundsatCooleParkVisitorCentreandtheadjoiningwoodatGarryland(www.coolepark.ie).
ThenaturereserveislocatedinsouthGalway,3kmnorthofGort(M4204)inakarsticlimestonebasinatlowelevation.Historically,betweentheyears1798-1927,itwasownedbytheGregoryfamilywhoplantedwoodlandandmaintainedwalledgardensandtree-linedavenues.ItwasacquiredbytheIrishstatein1927andformanyyearswasmanagedbyCoillte,duringwhichtimemuchofthedeciduouswoodlandandlawnswereplantedwithconifers.Itwasdesignatedanaturereservein1983andisnowaSpecialAreaofConservation(sitecodeSAC252)andaSpecialProtectionArea(SiteCodeSPA107)duetoanumberofrareplantspecies,auniqueassemblageofinsectsanditsimportancetowinteringwetlandbirdsthatusetheturloughs(seasonalwaterbodies).Ithasbeenthefocusofmanyecologicalstudies;someofthosefocusing
1.4 coole-garryland
Photograph: (below) Garryland Nature Reserve, (right) 2FN boxes, Garryland Nature Reserve.
onsmallmammalsincludeO’Mahony(1998),VonCramon(2003),Connor(2003),Bateman(2007)andCondell(2007).
ThehabitatinthevicinityofCooleParkVisitorCentreconsistsofplantednon-nativebeech,parkland,woodlandedgeandNorwayspruceconifers.ThewoodlandhabitatatGarrylandisconsideredtobesemi-naturalbroad-leavedwithpedunculatedoak(Quercusrobur),ash(Fraxinusexcelsior)andhazel(Corylusavellana),withanunderstoreyofbramble(Rubusfructicosus),ivy(Hederahelix),andhawthorn(Crategusmonogyna).
Ten2FNboxeswereerectedonbeechtreesinNutWoodclosetoCooleParkVisitorCentrein1999andremainedthereuntil2002whentheyweremovedtothewoodlandatGarrylandwhereforty2FNshavebeeninplacesince1999(Figure3).
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figure 3: Location of bat boxes in Garryland Nature Reserve
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KnockmaNatureReserveconsistsofapproximately42hectaresandcomprisesmixedbroadleavedwoodland,limestonepavementandhazelscrub.
Thenaturereserveislocated7kmeastofHeadfordand11kmwestofTuam,CountyGalway(M3648).Itisasteepslopingsite,50matthebaseofthehillrisingto167mandisthehighestpointinthesurroundingcountryside.ItwasownedbyoneofthetribesofGalway,theKirwansofCastlehackett,whomanagedthewoodland–thatmayhavedevelopednaturally–forgamehunting;thisaccountsforthepresenceofcherrylaural(Prunuslaurocerasus)andrhododendron(Rhododendronponticum).Thehillisofarchaeologicalimportanceduetothepresenceoffourstonecairnslocatedonthelimestonesummit.ThesitewastransferredtotheIrishstatein1956andboughtbyCoilltein1986beforebeingacquiredbytheNPWSin1989;itisdesignatedasaproposedNaturalHeritageArea(pNHA001288).
1.5 Knockma
Photograph: (right) Old boundary line, Knockma Wood, (below) Entrance to Knockma Wood.
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figure 4: Location of bat boxes in Knockma
TheconiferoustreespresentwereplantedbyCoillteandincludeJapaneselarch,Douglasfir(Pseudotsugamenziesii)andSitkaspruce.Othernon-nativespeciesincludesycamore(Acerpseudoplantanus)andsnowberry(Symphoricarposalbus).ThewoodlandhabitatatKnockmaisconsideredtobesemi-naturalbroad-leavedwithoak(Quercusrobur&Q.petraeabutalsohybrids),ash,hazel,beech,withanunderstoreyofbramble,ivy,andhawthornandrichgroundflora.Stepstomanagethecherrylaurelbeganin2004whenalargeareawaschemicallytreatedandcontinuedinthefollowingyearwhenasecondareawasfelled.In2014approximately2.5hectareswascutbackandwillbesprayedeitherin2015or2016,dependingontherateofgrowth.Additionalboundaryfencingwaserectedin2013and2014to
excludedomesticlivestockandapproximately400deciduoustrees,mainlyoakbutalsomountainash(Sorbusaucuparia)andyew(Taxusbaccata),havebeensown.IthasbeenthefocusofanumberofecologicalstudiesincludingoneontheDipteraassociatedwiththewoodland(McHugh,2009)andamanagementplancommissionedbytheNPWS(Boyle&McHugh,2008).
Fifty2FNboxeswereerectedatanumberoflocationswithinthewoodlandinMarch1999,tenofwhichremaintoday.FortyunderorunusedboxeswereremovedinMarch2002andrelocatedtoBallykyneWoodforoneyearandthentoGlengarriff,CountyCork.TheKnockmaWoodschemewaseventuallytransferredtotheNPWSin2004afterwhichnine2F,two1FFandone2FNSchweglerboxeswereerectedbythelocalconservationrangerwhocontinuestomonitoralltheboxesatthissite(Figure4).
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Alldatacollectedfortheyearsfrom1999–2015wereenteredintoacentralVWTMicrosoftAccessdatabase.Thefollowingbaselineinformationwascollectedforeachsiteunderthefollowingheadings:woodlandname;treenumber(eachtreeonwhichboxeswerehungwasassignedanumber),treespeciesandaltitudeattree.Eachboxwasassignedanumberanditstype,heightandaspectonthetreewererecorded.
MicrosoftOfficeExcelwasusedtomanipulatethedatarelatingtoIrelandandforrecordinginformationonthedegreeofshadingonabox,itsdistancefromapathandtreediameteratbreastheight.Shadingwasdividedintothreecategoriescomprisingshaded,dappledorfullsunandwasassessedwithreferencetothedegreeofsunlightreachingabox.Diameteratbreastheightwascalculatedbydividingthetreecircumferencevaluemeasuredatbreastheightby3.14.Thedistanceofaboxfromapathwasmeasuredbyconsideringmainandvehicularpathsonlyandwasdividedintointervalsof0–10m,11–20m,21–30mandgreaterthan30m.
Thefirstvisitwhenboxeswereerectedwasremovedfromthedata,asboxeswerenotavailabletobatsonthisoccasion.Wherepossible,allotheroccasionswhenboxeswereunavailabletobatswereremovedfromthedataset.Thisincludedstolen,damagedorbrokenboxesandvisitswhenparticularboxeswerenotchecked,forexampleduetoflooding.Whereagroupofboxeswereremovedanderectedelsewhere,thedatetheywererehungwasalsoremovedfromthedataset.
1.6 data Processing & Analysis
RecordsofsopranoandcommonpipistrellewerecombinedasPipistrellusspp.duetothedifficultyofseparatingthesespeciesaccuratelyintheearlyyearsofthestudy.
Pivottableswereusedtolookattrendsinthedataaccordingtositeandvariablessuchasmonth,boxtype,batspeciesandseason.Inspectionvisitsweregroupedintoseasonsasfollows:April&May–Spring;June&July–Summer;August&September/October–Autumn;NovembertoMarch–Winter.
Thepresenceofbirdnestsin2FNboxeswasrecordedtoassesswhethertherewasacorrelationbetweenpresenceofnestsandabsenceofbats.Anestwasmarkedaspresentwhenaboxwasfullorthreequartersfullwithnestmaterialandnotesmadeonthepresenceofeggsorchicks.Nestswitheggsandchickswereleftuntouched,otherwisethematerialwasremoved.
Allstatisticalanalysiswasconductedexternally([email protected]).InitiallyalldatasourcedfromVWTandexternalstudieswereconsideredforanalysistodeterminetrendsandtheirsignificancebut,duetothevariationwithinthedata(forexample,typesofboxesusedandlocations),onlydatafromtheVWTschemeswereanalysed.BarchartswereproducedbyGenstatandtrendsanalysedusingGeneralisedLinearMixedModels(GLMM)tocaterfortheanalysisofgroupeddata,primarilydifferentboxtypesatthefoursitescheckedatvaryingtimesofyear.
Photographs: Ladder at tree to check 2FN bat boxes.
Photograph: Pipistrelle spp.
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TablesinAppendix1andFigure8belowpresentasummaryoftheinformationgatheredduringthe17yearsofinspectionsatthreewoodlands–thesitesatCooleandGarrylandweregroupedastheywerealwayscheckedonthesameday.
1.7 Results
figure 5: The species and numbers of each recorded during spring to autumn in first three years of study.
a) Portumna
b) coole-garryland
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c) Knockma
Atotalof153visitsweremade;54,52and47atPortumna,Coole-GarrylandandKnockmarespectively,comprising7,370boxinspections.ThebreakdownoftheseinspectionsunderanumberofheadingsisdetailedinTables2to5below.Thesetablesclearlyshowhowunbalancedthedatawere,
butwereusefulinidentifyingthebestapproachesforfurtheranalysis.ItisimportanttorememberwhenreadingthetablesofresultsthataboxinspectedinAprilandMayofthesameyearcontributestwoinspectionstowardsthetotal.
year
19992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015
coole
707060700000000000000
270
Garryland knockma
siTe
PorTumna all
27828024028815020099
19919496
1444848760
4848
2436
3023502508913754545464623232123442141
1457
4464343314041742281141682261101641308251524251
3207
1096113488185133750325841246625233120115115096
111140
7370all years
table 2: Number of boxes inspected by Year and Site
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TyPe
1F1FF1FW2FN
coole
000
270
270
Garryland knockma
siTe
PorTumna all
000
2436
2436
178390
1240
1457
01572
791556
3207
1781611
795502
7370all TyPes
table 3: Number of boxes inspected by Box type and Site
Table4showshowthenumberofvisitsdeclinefromyear2002onwards,thereforetheresultsofanalysiswillbedominatedbythedatacollectedintheearlieryearsofthestudy.Therewereonlysufficientdataon1FFand2FNboxesfromPortumnatoallowcomparisonsofboxtypeusedas1,572inspectionsof
1FFand1,556of2FNboxeswereundertakenatthissite.Table4alsoshowsthevariationinvisitsmadebySeason.TherewasagooddistributionofvisitsinAprilandMay;onlyin2012wasthisperiodmissed.VisitsinJune&Julyceasedafter2002topreventdisturbancetobreedinggroups.
year
19992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015
WinTer (noV - march)
1200
167000
2223230
7510071232120
557
Period
all
276324162229121220128162153206229103510
524299
2557
324324274240
0232272
128230
23000
4821
1522
484486445215216260108156162
0102
00
792100
2734
1096113488185133750325841246625233120115115096
111140
7370all years
table 4: Number of boxes inspected by Year and Season for all four sites
sPrinG (aPril/may)
summer(June/July)
auTumn(auG-ocT)
20
Table5showsthatalmosthalfoftheboxeswereerectedonoaktrees(46%),with33%,16%,2.6%,0.8%and0.8%onScotspine,beech,Douglasfir,ashandsycamorerespectively.
sPecies
SycamoreBeech
AshDouglas firScots pine
Quercus spp.
coole
0216
000
54
270
Garryland knockma
siTe
PorTumna all
00000
2436
2436
1987082630
423
1457
41110106
02464486
3207
60119618863
24643399
7370all TyPes
table 5: Number of boxes inspected by tree species and site
ThemeanandtotalcountsofbatsandthepercentageofinspectionsthatyieldedabatareshowninTable6and7forallspeciesandforthefourspecies/groupsencounteredregularly.Table8showsOccupancyRate,whichisdefinedasthepercentageofinspectionswhenabatwasencountered.Inthesetablesthecolumngivingtheresultsforallbatsmaybeslightlygreaterorlesserthanthesumofthefourspecies/groupslistedduetotherareoccurrenceofotherspecies(whiskered/Brandt’satGarryland)orunidentifiedMyotisspecies,andduetothefactthatonrareoccasionsbatsofdifferentspecieswerefoundroostingtogetherintheoneboxonthesameday.
Daubenton’sbatwasonlyrecordedinGarrylandWoodland,whileLeisler’s,long-earedandthepipistrelleswererecordedatallsites.PortumnaWoodhadthehighesttotalnumberofbatscountedforpipistrelles(2,607),long-eared(1,045)andLeisler’s(382).Therewasa31%chanceofencounteringabatduringavisittothiswoodcomparedto11.5%and10%atCoole-GarrylandandKnockmarespectively.
Photograph: Leisler’s bats in a 2FN bat box
siTe
CooleGarrylandKnockmaPortumna
daubenTon’s
0.0000.0910.0000.000
0.030
leisler’s PiPisTrelle lonG-eared all
0.0590.0170.0690.119
0.073
0.1220.1970.0790.813
0.439
0.0000.1300.0040.326
0.185
0.1810.4350.1521.260
0.729all siTes
table 6: Mean number of bats counted by site (n = number of inspections and not numbers of boxes)
n
270243614573207
7370
21
all
siTe
CooleGarrylandKnockmaPortumna
daubenTon’s
0221
00
221
leisler’s PiPisTrelle lonG-eared all
1642
100382
540
33479115
2607
3234
0316
61045
1367
491060222
4040
5371all siTes
table 7: Total number of bats counted by site (n = number of inspections and not numbers of boxes)
n
270243614573207
7370
siTe
CooleGarrylandKnockmaPortumna
daubenTon’s
0.01.10.00.0
0.4
leisler’s PiPisTrelle lonG-eared all
3.01.63.64.2
3.2
10.46.85.8
23.2
13.9
0.02.00.43.9
2.4
13.311.510.031.2
19.9all siTes
table 8: Percentage of inspections with bats by site (n = number of inspections and not numbers of boxes)
n
270243614573207
7370
all
Table9showstheresultsforthepipistrellebats.Apresence/absencemodelratherthanmodelsofnumberswasusedbecausethecountsofbatshadfairlyextremedistribution,withmanyzerosandafewhighcounts.Hence,significancetestsfromthepresence/absenceGLMMsarelikelytobemorereliablethanthosefromquantitativemodels.Twofactorsarehighlysignificant,Boxtype(1FF)(F=49.80,with1and31d.f.,P=<0.001)andSeason(higheroccupancylaterintheyear)(F=14.93,with3and1891d.f.,P=<0.001).TherewasnosignificantinteractionbetweenBoxtypeandSeason,sotheseasonalpatternappearstobesimilarfor
bothboxtypes.TreespeciesandDiameterarebothhighlysignificantbutitispossiblethattheseeffectsareconfoundedwithspatialfactorsthatwerenotexaminedinthisstudy.TheonlyotherfactorthatishighlysignificantisYear(F=2.43,with16and690d.f.,P=0.001),withaninitialincreaseovertimethenastabilization.DuetothelocationofboxesalongtheshoreofLoughDerg,GLMMtestswereconductedtoseeiftherewasapreferenceforboxesnearthewater,asbothmeancountsandoccupancyratewerehigherinlakeshoreboxes,andthisprovedtobestatisticallysignificant(F=6.06with1and24d.f.,P=+0.021).
Term
AspectTree species
DBHBox typeSeason
YearShading
Distance from path
f Value
1.076.079.88
49.8014.932.432.111.55
ndf ddf P Value
33113
1613
30323531
18916902647
0.3780.0020.003
<0.001<0.0010.0010.1580.213
table 9: The significance levels for the presence of pipistrelles at Portumna using GLMM
22
Table10showstheresultsforlong-earedbats.Boxtypeissignificant(2FN)(F=5.17with1and31d.f.,P=0.030),butSeasonisnotsignificant.Diameterhasasignificantpositiverelationship(F=5.21with1and31d.f.,P=0.029)andisworthfurtherinvestigationtoseeiftreesaredistributedthroughoutthesiteorinagroupofsimilardiameters.TherewassomesignificancewithrespecttoYear,withagradualincreaseinuseovertime.
Photograph: Long-eared bats
Term
AspectTree species
DBHBox typeSeason
YearShading
Distance from path
f Value
0.461.485.215.171.031.811.930.79
ndf ddf P Value
33113
1613
29323131
18125924026
0.7150.2370.0290.0300.3770.0260.1730.513
table 10: The significance levels for the presence of long-eared bats at Portumna using GLMM
Table11showstheoverallsignificancelevelsfromGLMMforthepresenceofLeisler’sbatatPortumnaWoodin2FNand1FFboxes.TheonlyfactorthatishighlysignificantisYear(F=2.62with16and648d.f.,P=0.001),withincreasingnumbersfrom2013onwards.However,Seasonisalso
justaboutsignificant(F=2.64with3and1892d.f.,P=0.048),withincreasingpresencelaterintheyear.Testforinteractionsbetweenothervariablesdidnotyieldanyofsignificance(Aspect:BoxType;TreeSpecies:Diameter;BoxType:Season;Aspect:Shade;Season:Shade).
Term
Aspect
Tree speciesDBH
Box typeSeason
YearShading
Distance from path
f Value
0.541.420.000.002.642.620.010.68
ndf ddf P Value
33113
1613
32305340
18926482734
0.6590.2580.9740.9610.0480.0010.9320.573
table 11: The significance levels for the presence of Leisler’s bat at Portumna using GLMM
23
ConsideringPortumnaonlyFigure6showsmeannumberofbatsbyBoxtypeandSeasonandFigure7theoccupancyratebyBoxTypeandSeason.Theseindicatethatpipistrelleshaveaclearpreferencefor1FFboxesandlong-earedshaveaclearpreferencefor2FNboxes.Asdiscussedabove,whenthesedataweretestedusingGLMM,bothwerestatisticallysignificant.
figure 6: Mean number of bats by Box type and Season
figure 7: Occupancy rate by Box type and Season
24
Figure8showsthepatternofoccupancybyspeciesatthethreesitesforallyears.Leisler’sbatwasrecordedatCoole-Garrylandinthesecondyearofthestudybuthasbeenabsentsince2009.ThisspecieshasbeenrecordedatPortumnaeveryyearsince2000whenitfirstappearedthere.ItwaspresentduringthefirstyearatKnockmabuthasbeenabsentonoccasionalyearssincethen.
PipistrelleswerenotrecordedatGarrylandduringthe2012visitbutnotallboxeswereinspectedontheday,novisitwasmadein2013andonlyoneinMay2015priortothisreport.Long-earedbatshavebeenpresenteveryyearsince1999atPortumna,rarelyatKnockmaandabsentfromGarrylandsince2009.
figure 8: Percentage occupancy of bats by year and site
25
Althoughnotesweretakenofthepresenceofbirdnests,thiswasquiteasubjectiveexerciseandthedetailofthisvariedconsiderably,sonoanalysiscouldbeundertaken.However,Figure9showsthatthemonthofMaywasthepeaktimeforbirdoccupancyof2FNboxes.
figure 9: Number of bird nests in 2FNs by month for all sites
Threebatspecieswerefoundinboxesthatcontainedasubstantialamountofbirdnestingmaterialontwentyoccasions;pipistrelles(n=10),brownlong-eared(n=9)andLeisler’s(n=1).Usuallysinglebatswerefoundroostingabovethenest,butonthreeoccasionsgroupsoflong-earedbats(upto15)wererecorded.Itappearedthatcertainboxeswerepreferredbybirds,particularlyinKnockmaWood.Figure10showshowsomeboxeswerepreferredoverothers.
Photograph: Grounded bat box with bird’s nest inside.
figure 10: Numbers of bats using boxes at each site
a) Portumna - box number by occupancy
Box127hadthehighestlevelofoccupancyinPortumna.Thisisawestfacing1FFonaScotspineindappledwoodland,within40mofthelakeandmorethan30metresfromthenearestpath.Ontenvisitsthisboxwasbeingusedbygroupsoftenormorepipistrelles.
Groupsofbats(>10)wererecorded187timesandgroupsestimatedtocontainmorethan20batswerefoundduring29inspections,generallyduringthevisitsinApril&May.Pipistrellesformedmoregroupsin1FFboxesthan2FNwhereasgroupsoflong-earedandDaubenton’sbatsformedin2FNs.
26
b) Garryland - box number by occupancy
Box29displayedthehighestlevelofoccupancyinGarryland.Thisisasouthfacing2FNonanoaktreeinashadedareaover30metresfromtheclosestpath.Groupsoftenormorepipistrelleswererecordedfromthisboxduringeightdifferentinspections.
c) Knockma - box number by occupancy
Boxes32and17exhibitedthehighestlevelsofoccupancywith25and21batsrespectively.Bothwere2FNsinareasofdappledsunlight:box17waswestfacingonaDouglasfirof58cmdiameterand11-20mfromthenearestpath;box32wassouth-eastfacingonabeechtreeof70.7cmdiameterand10mfromthenearestpath.Inspring2000and2002groupsofLeisler’s(6-8bats)usedbox17.
Photographs: (left) Leisler’s bat in the hand, (right) Whiskered/Brandt’s bat in the hand
27
1.8 discussion
TheprimaryaimoftheVWTBatBoxSchemeinIreland–todeterminethepresenceofthebarbastellebat–wasnotachievedinthe17yearsofthesurvey.Acriticalassessmentofthisspecies’presenceinIreland–andofthenoctulebat–wasundertakenbyBuckleyetal.(2011)usingwalkedtransectsintheLoughDergregionwithPetterssonD100XbatdetectorsandbypassivemonitoringusinganSD1Anabatdetector.Outof1,011recordings,nocallsofthebarbastelleweredetected.TheauthorsconcludedthatwhileitisimpossibletoprovetheabsenceofaspeciesthereiscurrentlyinsufficientevidencetostatethatthebarbastellebatoccursinIreland.Apossibleexplanationforthe1997claimisthatDaubenton’sbatemitsasocialcallthatoverlapsincallstructurewithsomecallsproducedbythebarbastellebat.Itisinterestingtonotethatinthelate1990saDaubenton’scolonywasdiscoveredroostingingapsinstoneworkattheprioryinPortumnaanditwasthemostcommonlycapturedspeciesduringamistnettingsurveybytheDublinBatGroupin1998inthegroundsofthepriory(K.McAney,pers.obs.).
Despitethefailuretoachievetheprimaryaimoftheproject,oncetheboxeshadbeenadoptedbyotherspeciesitwasdecidedtoleavetheminplaceandonlytorelocatethoseunder-usedorontreesthatposedahealthandsafetyrisktothepersonsconductingtheinspections–forexampletreesonslopinggroundatKnockmaWood.Thenumberofinspectionsperyearwasreducedtominimisedisturbancetoanygroupsofbatsbutwasalsoduetotimeconstraints.Intheearlyyearsofthestudydroppingswerecollectedonamonthlybasisandstored.Samplesfrom1999and2000formedthebasisforafinalyearB.Sc.Zoologythesisonthedietofpipistrellebatsinthethreewoods(Guillot,2003).Atotalof202droppingswereanalysedand25Arthropodcategoriesidentified.Dipteraninsectswerethemostimportantpreygroupmakingup80%ofthediet;themostimportantfamiliesrepresentedweretheChironomidae/Ceratopogonidae(bitingandnon-bitingmidges),Anisopodidae(windowmidges)andTipulidae(crane-flies).
IntimethreeschemeswerehandedovertotheNPWSandCorkCountyBatGroupwhiledataonthePortumnaboxes,whichremainedaVWTstudy,wereenteredintothemainVWTBatBoxDatabaseheldintheUK.Amajorstudyofthelatterwasproducedin2006(Poulton)atwhichtimeinformationon68,715inspectionsof3,024boxeson1,410treesin52
woodlandsinEngland,WalesandIrelandwasavailable,coveringtheyears1985to2005.AlongwiththethreemodelsofSchweglerboxusedinIreland,sevenothertypes,bothwoodcreteandtimber,wereinplaceinEnglandandWales.InadditiontothespeciesrecordedinboxesinIreland(pipistrelles,brownlong-eared,Leisler’s,whiskered/Brandt’s,Daubenton’s,Natterer’s),thenoctule,serotineandBechstein’sbatwerealsorecordedintheUK.Despitethevolumeofrecordstherewerelimitationsastotheextentofanalysispossibleduetothehighdegreeofvariabilityinthetypesofboxesusedandhowandwheretheyweredeployed.Hence,subsetsofdatawereinvestigatedprimarilytodeterminethefactorsinfluencingoccupancyrateofboxtype(woodcretevstimber)andboxmodel(1FFvs2FNetc.).
ThemajorresultsfromthePoultonstudywerethatoccupancyratesshowedadistinctwinterlowwithlessthan2%usedinFebruarycomparedto10%inAugustandSeptemberandthattherewasahighlysignificantdifferenceinoccupancyratesbetweenbatboxtypes,ingeneralwoodcretewerepreferredtowooden.Occupancyrates,batcountsandspeciescountsallincreasedsignificantlywiththelengthoftimetheschemeswereestablished.Forallsixindividualspecies/groups,occupancyratesdifferedsignificantlybetweentypesofbatbox.Therewerelessmarkeddifferenceswithrelationtobatcounts.ThePipistrellusspp.groupaccountedfor50%oftheoccupancyratebutbrownlong-earedbatsweremorenumerous(n=9,684)thanpipistrelles(n=5,985)andweretheonlyspeciesthatformedclusters.The1FFand2FNboxesaccountedfor90%ofthepipistrellerecordswithoccupancyratesof12.9%and8.5%respectively.Also,the1FFboxeswereadoptedearlierthanthe2FNs(300and450daysrespectively).However,when2Fboxtypeswereavailable,pipistrellebatspreferredtheseshowingahigheroccupancyrate,highercountsandwereadoptedmorequicklythananyoftheotherboxtypes.TheotherspeciesofrelevancetoIrelandisNatterer’sbat;batboxheightseemedtohaveasignificanteffectonoccupancyrateandtimetofirstuse,withthisspeciesshowingastrongpreferenceforboxesplacedlow(4morlower).AlthoughthisspecieswasfoundinallsevenboxtypesusedinEnglandandWales,fiveofwhichwerewoodcrete,itpreferredthe2Fmodel(occupancyrate4.3%)overthe1FFand2FN(occupancyratesof2.7%and2.2%respectively).
28
ThefirststudyofexclusivelyIrishVWTbatboxeswasundertakenbyTeesdale(2006)whoanalysedthedatacollectedatPortumnaForestParkduringthefirstsevenyearsofthestudy,bywhichtime2,124batshadbeencountedduring37visits.AsinthePoultonstudythelackofasystematicapproachtotheinitialplacementandsubsequentinspectionoftheboxeslimitedtheamountofanalysispossible,butanumberofstatisticallysignificantresultswereobtainedandsomeobservationsthatmeritfutureresearch.Thepipistrellegroupwasrecordedin70.4%oftheinspections,followedbybrownlong-earedsandLeisler’sat21.8%and7.8%respectively.Thepipistrellesshowedaclearpreferencefor1FFboxesandbrownlong-earedsfor2FNwhileLeisler’sbatsshowednopreference.TeesdalemappedalltheboxesusingaGPSandGISandwasabletoassigntheboxestoeitherwoodedge(closetoapath/track)orwoodinteriorandfoundallthreespeciespreferredboxesthatwerelocatedclosertowoodlandedge,andalsothatpipistrellebatspreferredthoseboxesclosesttoLoughDergwhiletheothertwospeciespreferredboxesmorethan50mawayfromthelake.Herresultsalsosuggestedthattheclusteringorisolationofboxeswasaninfluencingfactor,withallthreespecies/groupschoosingisolatedboxes.Aspectoftheboxappearedtobeafactorinfluencingoccupancy,withLeisler’susingnorthandeastfacingboxes,pipistrellesusingwestandeastfacingandlong-earedsselectingsouthfacing.Therewasalsoevidenceofseasonalvariationinboxoccupancy,withmorebatspresentinthespringthansummerandautumn,althoughpipistrellesweremoreoftenrecordedin2FNboxesinsummerthanatothertimesoftheyear.
Theanalysiscarriedoutforthisreportsupportssomeofthefindingsdetailedabove,whichisnotsurprisingconsideringthatthedatasetusedherealsoformedpartoftheearlierstudies,butadditionalsignificantfactorswereidentified.AsinthePoultonstudy(2006)subsetsofdatawereuseddependingonthefactorbeingassessed;onlydatafromPortumnaForestParkfortheyears1999to2002wereusedtotestbatboxpreferenceasonlyatthissiteweretwodifferentboxmodelsused,buttheentiredatasetwasusedtolookatspeciesbehaviourinrelationtootherfactors,suchasyearorseason.Acommonresultwiththeothertwostudiesisthepreferencebypipistrellebatsfor1FFboxesandincommonwithTeesdale(2006)thatbrownlong-earedspreferred2FNs.The1FFboxisdesignedtoreplicatethenarrowcrevice-likespacesfavouredbypipistrelleswhilethe2FNdesignmimicsholesintrees,thenaturalroostsofthelong-earedbat.Thepreferencebypipistrellesforboxesclosetowaterwasreplicatedinthisstudy.
SeasonalusebybothpipistrellesandLeisler’sbatwasconfirmedinthisstudy;howevercontrarytoTeesdale’sfinding,thiswasformorebatsofbothspeciestobepresentlaterintheyear.Thismayreflecttheuseoftheboxesbyfemaleswholeavematernityroostsinbuildingsoncethepupsareweanedandbymalebatsseekingtoattractfemalesformating,assexuallyactivemalesofbothspecieswereencounteredsinglyorwithfemalesintheautumn.Brownlong-earedsdidnotshowanyseasonality.Researchsincethe1960sonthematingbehaviourofthisspeciesshowsthatmatingoccursmainlyinwinterandearlyspring,ratherthanautumn.Thismayexplainthelackofseasonalityintheoccurrenceofthisspeciesinboxes,asunlikepipistrelleandLeisler’sbat,malebrownlong-earedsdonotsetupautumnmatingrooststoattractfemales.
Swift(1998)referstoastudybyAltringham&Bullockwhereabatboxschemewassetupinaconiferousforestinsouth-eastScotlandinanareawheretherewerefewalternativeroostsites.Withinthreeyears60%oftheboxeshadbeenused,withpipistrellesthemostnumerousbutonlyformatingpurposes,whilebrownlong-earedandNatterer’sbatbothformednurserycolonies,aswasthecaseinthisstudyforlong-earedsinPortumnaandNatterer’sinGlengarriff,butalsoDaubenton’sinGarryland.
Brownlong-earedbatcoloniesaretypicallysmallcomparedwiththoseofotherspecies,generallyfrom10-20adults(Entwistleetal.,1997)anditisoneoftheEuropeanspeciesthatmostfrequentlyusesbatboxesandoneofthefewthatformsnurserycoloniesinthem.Thesustainedpresenceofgroupsoflong-earedbatsatPortumnaisinagreementwiththisandmirrorsthesouth-eastScottishexperiencewherethisspeciesreadilyadoptedboxesinconiferouswoodlandthatofferednonaturalroosts.Yet,someoftheboxesinPortumnaareondeciduoustreesandtherewasasignificantpositiverelationshipexhibitedbythisspeciesandtreediameter.Itisclearthatfurtherworkisneededtodeterminethefactorsinfluencingtheuseofboxesbythelong-earedbats.
Theotherfactorthatprovedsignificantwasthelengthoftimetheboxeswereinplace,withoccupancyratesincreasingforallthreespecies,althoughinthecaseofpipistrellesthisincreaseappearstohavestabilised.So,althoughtheboxeswereoccupiedveryquickly,ittookseveralyearsbeforetheywereregularlyoccupiedandbeforeclustersofbatswereformedandbreedingwasconfirmed.
29
Inthisstudyfourspeciesorgroupsformedclustersinboxes,pipistrelles,brownlong-eared,Daubenton’sandNatterer’s,probablyreflectingthelengthoftimetheboxeshavebeeninplace,althoughNatterer’sbatadoptedthe2FNboxesinGlengarriffveryquickly.IntheUKVWTstudythisspecieswasabletochoosebetweenseventypesofboxesandselectedthe2Fmodeloverthe2FN;bothmodelsprovidespaceforclusteringintheroof,themajordifferenceisoneopeninginthefrontdoorpaneloftheformerwhereastherearetwoopenings,aslitnearthebottomoftheboxatthefrontandonetotherear,inthelatter.
NosignificanceforboxoccupancyinrelationtoavarietyoffactorswasdetectedinthisstudyofPortumnaForestPark.Althoughaspectisoftenconsideredtobeanimportantfactortoconsiderwhenerectingboxes,thiswasnotthecasehere.Severalstudieshavetestedtheinfluenceofaspectwithvaryingresults(norelevanceinawoodintheUK-Dodds&Bilston,2013;preferencesforeast-facingboxesduringbreedinginawoodinSpain-Flaqueretal.,2006).InguidelinesforerectingbatboxesinthenorthernhemisphereprovidedbyBatConservationIreland(www.batconservationireland.org)andtheBatConservationTrust(www.bats.org.uk)bothorganisationsrecommendthatboxesshouldbepositionedsothattheyreceivesunlightforseveralhourseachday–soonasoutherlyorwesterlyaspect-becauselackofwarmthis
consideredtobethemainreasonwhybatboxesarenotusedbybats.Thismaybemorecriticalifonlytwoorthreeboxesarebeingerectedasopposedtoalargeschemewithtensofboxesinwoodland.AlltheboxesinplaceinPortumna,GarrylandandKnockmawoodswerevisitedinJune2015andtheirdegreeofexposuretosunwasassessedwithmostcategorisedasreceivingdappledsunlight,withlownumbersasshadedorexposed,thereforetheeffectofaspectmaybemodifiedtosomeextentbytreecover.
ThemonthofMaywasthepeaktimeforoccupancybybirdsof2FNboxesinthethreewoodsandundoubtedlypreventedtheirusebybats.Severalstudieshaveremarkedontheexclusionofbatsbybirdsoccupyingdifferentmodelsofbatbox(Meddingsetal.,2011;Dodds&Bilston,2013),butoccupationcanoperateinreverse;brownlong-earedbatsusedbirdboxeserectedinapineforestincentralSpain(Benzal,1991)andataLondonwoodland,WythamWoods,batsmovedintoSchweglerbirdboxeserectedforgreatandbluetits(Cyanistes(Parus)caeruleusandParusmajor),asdescribedbyDaniLintoninapresentationatthe2012BelgiumBatHouseMeeting.Dodds&Bilston(2013)describetheuseofbatboxesbybirdsdespitetheavailabilityofbirdboxesonthesametreeandstatethattheinfluenceofbirdcompetitionwassignificantandboxesneedtobemodifiedtoexcludebirds,includingthelargehibernationandsummermodels.
Photograph: Knockma woods
30
Portumna,theydisappearedintonaturallyoccurringcracksofthetreeonwhichtheboxwashungoronanadjacenttree.
KnockmaWoodwasthesmallestofthethreewoodlandschosenandtheresultsreflectthiswithfewerspeciesandnumberofbatsrecorded,yetmoreLeisler’sbatswererecordedherethanatCoole-Garryland.Itispossiblethatthewoodlandmanagementbeingundertakenwillenhancethissiteforbats.Littlecanbesaidabouttheone-yearschemeatBallykyneWood,exceptthatpipistrellebatswererecordedintheboxesveryquickly,probablybecausetherewasalargenurserycolonyinabuildingwithin500mofthewood.ResultsfromGlengarriffWoodarediscussedinChapter2.
TheVWTstudyhasshownthatsevenofthenineIrishbatspeciesuseartificialbatroostsintheformofwoodcreteboxesforavarietyofreasonsbutcertainlyforbreedingandmating.Somespecies,suchasbrownlong-eareds,formclustersandappeartoberesidentwithinthewoods,whilemanyboxescontainsingleorsmallnumbersandmayindicatetransientuse.Whiskered/Brandt’sbatwasararelyrecordedoccupant,possiblysurprisingasitisaspeciesassociatedwithwoodlandbutthisisoneofthemostrarelyrecordedbatspeciesinIreland(BatConservationIreland,2014).Aneighthspecies,Nathusius’pipistrelle,wasnotrecordedinVWTbatboxesbutdidoccurinaboxerectedasamitigationmeasure.Theonlyspeciesnotrecordedwasthelesserhorseshoebatbut,asmentionedearlier,thisspeciesisnotabletoaccesstheopeningsintheboxes,althoughitwilluseabatboxasaperchfromwhichtohang(C.Morrispers.comm.).UnfortunatelythedatacollectedbytheVWTwerenotinaformatthatcouldbeeasilysharedwithBatConservationIrelandwheninformationonallIrishbatswasbeingcollatedforthe2014publication‘Irishbatsinthe21stcentury’,butasaresultofthisstudythesedataarenowbeingincorporatedintoBatConservationIreland’sbatdatabase.
ThetwohibernationboxeserectedatPortumnawerequicklyadoptedbybirds,althoughalsousedbygroupsofpipistrellesandononeoccasionbrownlong-earedbats.Bilston(2014)investigatedmethodstoexcludebirdsfrom1FSand2FNboxesduringthenestingseasoninanancientwoodlandinBuckinghamshireusingexpandedfoamtorestrictthesizeoftheentranceandtheinternalareaavailabletonestingbirds,butstillenablingbatstoroost.Thefirstyearresultswerepositive,withtheexclusionmeasuresworking100%inbothboxmodels.Batoccupationratesinthe1FSboxes,thepreferredmodel,werehigherinthemodifiedboxesduringthebirdnestingseasonthaninpreviousyears.
PortumnaForestParkwastheobviouswoodlandinwhichtoerectbatboxesasthiswaswherethebarbastellewasbelievedtohavebeendetectedandithasprovedtobeaverysuccessfulschemeforpipistrelle,long-earedandLeisler’sbats.Althoughsomedeciduoustreesoccurmanyoftheboxesarelocatedonconifersthatdonotoffernaturalroosts.Nodoubtthelakeshoreandotherwetlandsassociatedwiththeparkprovideadequateforaginggroundsforbatsthatnowchoosetoroostinthewoodusingtheboxes.ItisinterestingthatnoDaubenton’sbatswerefoundintheboxesduringinspections,yetacolonyisknowntoroostinthestoneworkofbuildingsadjacenttothepark.OnoccasionswhenpipistrellesandLeisler’sbatswereactiveduringinspectionsandflewawayonopeningthebox,theywereusuallyobservedenteringanotheradjacentbatbox.
Coole-Garrylandwaschosenasastudysitebecauseitwasthebestexampleofasemi-naturalbroad-leavedoakwoodlandinthecountywitheaseofaccess,thatmighthavebeensuitableforbarbastellebats.Morespeciesofbatwererecordedherethanattheotherwoods,onlyNatterer’sbatwasunrecorded.However,thisspeciesispresentintheareabecauseacolonyofapproximately50batswereidentifiedinadawnsurveyastheyenteredagapinastonewallofthecourtyardclosetothevisitorcentre(O’Mahony,1998).WhenbatsflewawayfromboxesinGarrylandduringinspections,incontrastto
31Photograph: 1ff bat box in Portumna forest Park
32
2. otHeR BAt Box scHeMesThreeotherbatboxschemesusedSchweglerbatboxesandtheresultsofthesearepresentedhere.TheGlengarriffschemewasinitiatedbytheVWTandisnowmanagedbytheCorkCountyBatGroup,butrecordsforcertainyearswerecollectedbytheCentreofIrishBatResearch(CIBR).
figure 11: Map of other bat box studies included in this report
The422FNboxesmovedtoGlengarriffinMay2003werelocatedattwosites,intheoakwoodwithinthenaturereserveandonpinetreesinanearbyCoillteplantation.Table12showstheresultsfrominspectionsfortheyears2003to2010andFigure11thelocationoftheboxes.
2.1 Glengarriff Wood
33
year
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
monTh
August
February
May
June
May
June
May
February
July
July
siTe baT Presence
Oak wood
Conifer
Both sites
Oak wood
Conifer
Oak wood
Conifer
Oak wood
Conifer
Oak wood
Conifer
Oak wood
Conifer
Oak wood
Conifer
Oak wood
Conifer
Oak wood
Conifer
2 male soprano pipistrelles in separate boxes, sexually activeMale and female Leisler’s bats in a box – male sexually active
2 soprano pipistrelles in separate boxes
No bats present, old droppings present in many boxes
2 soprano pipistrelles in separate boxes, droppings in other boxes
Bat droppings only in eleven boxes
1 soprano pipistrelle
Bat droppings only in some boxes
7 Natterer’s bats in one box, 1 Natterer’s in another box
Bat droppings only in some boxes
20 Natterer’s in one box, young present1 male Natterer’s in another box1 male Leisler’s in another box
Bat droppings only in some boxes
No bats, droppings in some boxes
No bats, droppings in some boxes
No bats, droppings in some boxes
No bats, droppings in some boxes
55 Natterer’s in a box; 32 adult females, 1 adult male, 11 juvenile females and 11 juvenile males1 female Natterer’s bat in another box
1 whiskered/Brandt’s bat in a box1 male common pipistrelle in another box
A total of 64 Natterer’s in two boxes
39 brown long-eared bats in one box, juveniles present1 male soprano pipistrelle in another box
table 12: Results from inspections of bat boxes at Glengarriff Wood, 2003 -2010
34
BatswererecordedintheboxesduringthefirstinspectioninAugust2003whenitappearsasiftheboxesatbothsiteshadbeenadoptedasmatingroostsbymalepipistrelleandLeisler’sbats.Lownumbersofsopranopipistrelleswererecordedin2004and2005andNatterer’sfirstappearedin2006andwerepresentin2007and2009andwereusingtheboxesforbreeding.Thisspecieswasprobablyalsopresentin2008butnosummervisitwaspossiblethatyear.Eightyearsaftererection,amaternitygroupoflong-earedsmovedintoaboxintheconiferwood,andalthoughboxeshereheldlownumbersofbats,theyhadbeenusedbyfivedifferentspeciesby2010.
AstudyoftheuseofnaturalandartificialroostsbyNatterer’sbatwasconductedintheUKbyPhillips(2009).Roostswerefoundinareasofhighunderstoreygrowthandclosetowaterbodies,featuresincommonwiththeoakwoodatGlengarriff.ThepresenceofbreedingfemalesinboxesintheUKstudywasthoughttoberelatedtothewarmerandmorehumidconditionsprovidedbythebatboxes. illustration: Natterer’s bat.
2.2 clare county Bat group
TheClareCountyBatGrouperected35Schweglerbatboxesin2008and2009withgrantassistancefromtheHeritageCounciltowardsthepurchaseoftheboxes.Theboxeswerelocatedinfivewoodswithinthecounty(Figure11)andweregenerallycheckedinearlyspringandlateautumnduringtheyears2008to2014.Table13givesdetailsofthefivesitesandtheresultsobtained.
Photographs: (left) Members of the Clare County Bat Group checking a bat box, (right) soprano pipistrelle in a bat box in kilrush.
35
siTe name
Shannon
Flagmount
Kilrush
Ennis
O’Briensbridge
Woodland TyPe
Sycamore & beech at
edge of estuary
Mixed Coillte woodland
at lake edge
Mixed Coillte woodland
with adjacent beech
woodland
Mixed woodland
Riparian woodland
2fn 1ff sPecies commenTs
3
4
4
3
3
18
Pipistrelle, Leisler’s,
Daubenton’s
Pipistrelle, Leisler’s,
Brown long-eared
Pipistrelle, Leisler’s,
unidentified
Pipistrelle, Myotis
spp.
Pipistrelle
(105 Bats in Total)
Bird nests in 2FNs
All 8 boxes in use.
Bird nests in 2FNs.
2 boxes stolen, 1 box
damaged. Dead pipistrelle
found. Bird nests in 2FNs.
1 box damaged. Bird nests in
2FNs. Dead pipistrelle found.
1 box damaged. Dead
pipistrelle found. Bird nests
in 2FNs.
table 13: Results of the Clare County Bat Group Bat Box Scheme
3
4
5
3
3
17
Inthefirstthreeyearsofthestudy81%oftheboxeshadbeenusedbybats.The1FFboxeswereusedmorethanthe2FNsandthepatternofoccupancyvaried.
2.3 waterford
EighteenSchwegler2FNbatboxeswereerectedintwowoodlandsinSeptemberandOctober2013;12inamixedwoodlandalongariverinLismoreand6alongatreelineattheedgeofthevillageofCheekpoint,closetomixedwoodland(Figure11).
TheboxeswerecheckedinMayandSeptember2014withanadditionalvisittoLismoreinJune.AlldroppingsfoundwerecollectedandspeciesidentifiedusingDNAanalysis.ThreesopranopipistrelleswerefoundinLismoreandalldroppingsfoundwerethoseofsopranopipistrelles.NobatsusedtheboxesatCheekpoint.
Photograph: Pipistrelles in a 1ff box.
36
2.5 Mount falcon
DrTinaAughney,BatEcologist,providedinformationontheuseofSchweglerbatboxesasamitigationmeasurefortheremovaloftreesduringroadimprovementstotheN26,southofBallina,CountyMayo,inthevicinityofMountFalconEstate.MayoCountyCouncilprovidedthefundingforthepurchaseoftheboxes.Eighteen2FNboxeswereerectedonsixtreesinsixdifferentlocations,thereforethreeboxestoatree.
Thespeciesoftreeschosenwereabeechinthecentreofabeechwoodland,abeechattheedgeofanopengladeinamixedwoodland,abeechneartheedgeofamixedwoodland,aconiferattheedgeofapondandclosetoatrackway,abeechinthecentreofasecondbeechwoodlandandanoakinthecentreofamixedwoodland.Alltheboxeswerelocated4mhighandpositionedsouth-east,southandsouth-west.
TheboxeswerecheckedinSeptember2004byDrAughneywhofoundbatdroppingsin16ofthe18boxeswiththeotherboxesblockedbybirdnests.Fouroftheboxeshadbatsoftwospecies,sopranopipistrelle(one,twoandfourindividualsinthreeboxes)andthreeLeisler’sbatsinonebox.
Photograph: Schwegler 1FD, 1FF and 1F bat boxes.
2.4 wicklow national Park
AstudywasundertakenbyEndaMullen,DistrictConservationOfficerNPWS,atWicklowNationalParkinsummer2012onaseriesofcommerciallyavailablebatboxestotesthowthesecomparedtotheconditionsinsideamaternitypipistrellebatroostwithinanatticwithrespecttotemperatureandhumidityvalues.Thepurposeofthestudywastodetermineifbatboxesweresuitableasalternativeroostsforbatsthatneededtobeexcluded,underlicence,fromoccupiedhousesandwaspartfundedbytheHeritageCouncil.
Geminidataloggerswereusedtomeasuretemperatureandhumiditywithintheroost,withinthreetypesofSchweglerboxes(2FN,1FD,1FF)andtwotimberboxes,andonawest-facingwindowledgeonthebuildingonwhichtheboxeswerefitted.ThetimberboxeswereastandardtimberbatboxandatimbermaternitystylespecificallydesignedfortheprojectbyBatroostIreland(www.batroostireland.org).TheBatroostIrelandboxwasconstructedusingadesignfromBatConservationInternational(www.batcon.org)andcontainedacopperpipefilledwithsandinthetopoftheboxtoserveasaheatreservoir.
Themainfindingsfromthisstudywereasfollows:
•Temperaturewithintheatticwasconsistentlywarmerthanexternalambienttemperature
•Temperaturewithintheboxeswasconsistentlycoolerthanthatintheattic
•Temperaturewithintheboxescloselymatchedthatofambienttemperature
•Therewaslittlevariationintemperaturevaluesbetweenthedifferentboxtypes
•The1FFandBatroostIrelandboxeshadmeantemperaturevaluesclosesttotheatticvalues,withthe1FFperformingslightlybetter
•Thereweredifferencesinhowtemperaturevariedbetweenthe1FFandBatroostIrelandbox,withtheformerheatingupquickerbydaybutthelatterretainingheatlongerduringthenight
•Humidityvalueswerelowerintheatticthanintheboxesandagainthe1FFwasclosesttotheatticvalues
37
Photograph: Schwegler 1FD, 1FF and 1F bat boxes.
2.6 Bat Boxes and Agri-environment schemes
Incontrasttopreviousagri-environmentschemesthecurrentGLASschemepromotestheuseofbatboxesasaseparatemeasurethatfarmerscanchoosetoimplement.Inpreviousschemestherewasnodistinctionmadebetweenbatandbirdboxes,sonoinformationisavailableastohowmanybatboxeswereerectedinthepastoranywayofdetermininghowsuccessfulorotherwisethismeasurewas,butthegeneralviewofthismeasureisthattheerectionofbatboxeswasanawarenessraisingexerciseratherthanapracticalconservationaction(C.Keena,pers.comm.).AvarietyoftimberbatboxeshavebeenondisplayattheTeagascCentreinAthenry,CountyGalwaysince2008andareusedtoraiseawarenessaboutbatsamongstfarmersandadvisorsduringopendaysatthecentre.UnderGLAStherateofpaymenteachyearperbatboxis€13,withaminimumofthreeboxesandamaximumof15allowedperfarmer.Farmersarereportedtohaveoptedtoerect80,000batboxesatacostof€1.04mperyear(IrishIndependent,30/06/2015).
2.7 summary
TheresultsobtainedbythesedifferentstudieshaveaddedtoourknowledgeoftheuseofbatboxesinIreland.Natterer’sbatisnowconfirmedasusingboxesforbreedinghere.AutumninspectionsandhandlinghasprovidedadditionalevidenceoftheuseofboxesasmatingroostsbypipistrelleandLeisler’sbat.TheClareprojectshowedahighsuccessratewithinthreeyearsandagainhighlightedtheproblemofbirdnestsinthe2FNs.Interestingly,allthedroppingsanalysedfromtheWaterfordboxeswerefromsopranopipistrellesandnoneoftheboxeserectedclosetoavillagewereused.
Photograph: bat boxes at Teagasc, athenry.
TheWicklowstudydiffersfromtheothersinthatitwasdesignedtoinvestigateaspecificquestion–canboxesberecommendedasalternativesummerroostsforbatsexcludedfrombuildings?TheSchwegler1FFbatboxperformedbetterthantheotherfivetypestestedinrelationtotemperatureandhumidity,butthefinalconclusionfromthisstudywasthatnoneofthecommerciallyavailableboxesaresuitablealternativesasmaternityroostsforsopranopipistrellebatsandarethereforenotsuitableasamitigationmeasurewhenbatsneedtobeexcludedunderlicence.
TheMt.Falconpost-mitigationstudyprovedonceagainthat2FNboxesarereadilyadoptedbysopranopipistrellesandLeisler’s,butalsobirds.ThesefindingsaresimilartothosefromeightbatboxprojectsinvestigatedbyBatConservationIrelandinareporttotheHeritageCouncilin2008titled‘Aninvestigationoftheimpactofdevelopmentprojectsonbatpopulations:comparingpreandpost-developmentbatfaunas’.Atotalof150boxeswereexamined,ofwhich137werewoodcrete(2F,2FN,1FF,1FS,and2F-DFP)andtheremainderstandardorwedgetimberboxes.Noneofthetimberboxeswereusedbybats,whilethewoodcreteoneswereusedbysopranoandcommonpipistrelles,Leisler’sandDaubenton’sbats,whilemanyotherboxeshadbatdroppings.Nolong-earedswererecorded.Ofthe91individualbatsobservedin33boxes,75%weresopranopipistrelle,and19%,5%and1%werecommon,Leisler’sandDaubenton’srespectively.Sevenboxesweredamaged.
Thefollowingrecommendationsweremadearisingfromthisstudy:
•AllbatboxschemesshouldberegisteredwithBatConservationIreland•Boxesshouldbeerected4-5mabovegroundlevelinareaswithlowpublicaccess•Boxesshouldbefixedsecurelytotreestopreventmovementbywind•Boxesshouldbecheckedatleastonceeverytwoyears•Boxesunusedwithin3-4yearsshouldberelocated
Althoughtheerectionofbatboxeswastheonlymeasureforbatsincludedinpastagri-environmentalschemes,noinformationisavailableonhowmanywereerectedorhowsuccessfulorotherwisethismeasurewasforbats.Hopefully,someinformationwillbecollectedonhoweffective,otherthanawareness-raising,theproposedexpenditureof€1.04millionayearforfiveyearsonbatboxeswillbeunderthecurrentGLASscheme.
38
3. BAt Boxes As MitigAtion MeAsuRes
3.1 Background
Since1998theprotectionofindividualbatsandtheirbreedingandrestingsiteshascomewithintheremitoflocalauthoritiesinrelationtoproposeddevelopmentsrequiringapprovalbythesebodies,asdescribedinDirective2001/42/ECof27June2001.Guidelineswereproducedin2006(Kelleher&Marnell)toprovideassistancetothoseinvolvedinland-useplanninganddevelopmentwherebatswereknownorsuspectedtooccur.Theuseofbatboxeswasconsideredtobeanappropriateformofmitigation,withsomequalifications,specificallywhereroostsoflowconservationsignificanceweregoingtobelosttodevelopments,buttheywerenotconsideredappropriatesubstitutesforsignificantroostsinbuildings.Schweglerboxeswererecommendedduetotheirdurabilityandreducedmaintenanceandthreeboxes(amixofmodels)weresuggestedpertreetocaterfortheneedsofbatsonaseasonalandspeciesbasis.
3.2 online survey
ApartfromtheassessmentconductedbyBatConservationIrelandin2008andreferencedinChapter2,littleinformationwasavailableonhowmanybatboxeshadbeenproposedasmitigationmeasures,howsuccessfulthesehadbeenandhowtheresultsoftheseschemesmightcomparetotheVWTboxes.ForthisreasontheonlinesurveytoolSurveyMonkeywasusedinthisstudytogatherinformationfromecologistsandbatprofessionalsonbatboxschemestheyhadrecommended,thepurposesforwhichtheywererecommended,thenumberandtypesofboxesusedandtheresultsobtained.Initiallyatrialsurveywassenttoalimitednumberofbatprofessionalsforfeedbackonthecontentofthesurveytomaximizeitseffectivenessandfollowingthisafinalsurveywascirculated(Appendix2)to15recipients,includingBatConservationIreland,theCharteredInstituteofEcologyandEnvironmentalManagement(CIEEM)andtheEnvironmentalScienceAssociationofIreland(ESAI).Responseswerereceivedfromeightsourcesandarepresentedbelow.Inadditiontothe13questionsposed,contributorswerealsoinvitedtosupplyadditionalcommentsinaseparateboxattheendofthesurveyform.
Photographs: Pages from the online survey
39
3.3 Results
Q1. Have you recommended the use of bat boxes as a mitigation measure?
Yes7/8No1/8
Q2. How many bat box schemes have you installed?
Q3. Why did you recommend the use of bat boxes?
Other:Habitatenhancement,demonstrationpurposes,topromotewildlifeingardensandatschools
40
Q4. If yes, what kind of box have you recommended? (Please enter model, type of wood and source where possible)
Q5. Were the boxes intended as maternity or hibernation roosts?
Maternity2/8Hibernation5/8
Q6. Are the boxes being used as maternity or hibernation roosts?
Maternity2/8Hibernation2/8
Q7. If there was any post construction monitoring, what species have you recorded?
Q8. For how many years were the boxes monitored?
1year1/82years2/812years1/8
41
Q9. How often were the boxes checked?
Annually4/8Seasonally2/8
Q12. Were you able to detect any preferences with regards to the following?
Q10. Were boxes checked during the winter?
Yes1/8No5/8
Q11. Were boxes put in place prior to loss of habitat?
Yes4/8No1/8
Q13. Would you recommend bat boxes as a suitable mitigation measure?
Yes7/8No1/8
3.4 discussion
TheresultsobtainedbythissmallsurveyindicatethatSchweglerboxesarethemainboxtypebeingusedandtheyareprimarilybeingusedasmitigationforlossofroosts.Fourspecieshavebeenrecordedandboxesarebeingusedasmaternityandhibernationroosts.Wherepostmonitoringistakingplace,preferencefortypeofboxandseasonwasdetectedinafewcasesandallbutonecontributorsaidtheywouldrecommendtheuseofboxesasamitigationmeasureinthefuture.
However,thelackofpost-erectionmonitoringwasacommonthemeraisedbyanumberofparticipants.Oneecologistrecommendedtheuseofover200boxes
infivecasesyetnoorlittlepostmonitoringworkwaspossibleduetolackoffunding.AdditionalcommentsraisedarediscussedinChapter4.
BatConservationIrelandisconductingafieldsurveyofbatboxschemesin2015andiscurrentlycreatingaregisterandadatabaseofsuchschemesinordertogatherinformationaboutIrishbatsusingbatboxes(www.batconservationireland.org).AlltheVWTbatboxdatahavenowbeentransferredtoBatConservationIrelandforthispurposeandcontributorstotheVWTSurveyMonkeywereaskediftheywishedtobeinvolvedwiththis.
42
4. RecoMMendAtions
4.1 introduction
Stebbings&Walsh(1991)refertoadescriptionofboxesprovidedforbatsthatwaspublishedinFrancein1918.InterestinprovidingboxesforbatsincreasedthroughoutEuropeandNorthAmericainthe20thcenturyandtwomeetingshavebeenconvenedinBelgiumtodiscussthistopic;the2012and2014BatHouseMeetings.Therearemanyreviewsofartificialroostsforbats(Mering&Chambers,2014;Poulton,2006;Boye&Dietz,2004;Swift,2004),thecommonaimofwhichistodrawconclusionsontheirsuccessandtoprovideadviceonfutureuse.Thischapterpresentsasummaryofanumberofthese.However,itshouldbenotedthatbecausethedefinitionofthesuccessofabatboxschemewillvarydependingonthereasonforprovidingtheboxes,sotoowilltherecommendationsforthebestwaytodeployboxes.
4.2 vwt irish Bat Box Project
IfabarbastellebathadbeenfoundonceinaboxinPortumnaForestbutnoneoftheother161boxeshadeverbeenused,thisprojectwouldhavebeendeemedasuccess.Althoughabarbastellewasnotrecorded,thefollowingrecommendationscanbemade,basedontheresultsofthisschemeandincorporatinganalysisbyTeesdale(2006).
1FFSchweglerboxesarerecommendedforusebypipistrelles,particularlyiftheboxesarelocatedclosetowater.2FNboxesarerecommendedforusebygroupsofbrownlong-eareds,Natterer’sandDaubenton’sbats.Leisler’sbatdoesnotappeartohaveapreference.Thelongertheboxesareinplace,thenumberofbatsandnumberofspeciesusingthemwillincrease.Boxesareimportantasmatingsitesformalesofspecies,suchaspipistrellesandLeisler’s,whichseektoattractfemalesintheautumn.2FNsareusedbybirdsduringthenestingseasonandarethusunavailabletobatssoamodificationtoreducetheaccesspointtodeterbirdsshouldbemadetotheseboxes.Usingwiretoloopboxesinpairsontreesisnotrecommended,particularlyforfastgrowingconiferspecies.
• Thelackoffundingforposterectionmonitoringwasacommonconcernandthevalidityofproposingboxesasamitigationmeasurewithoutadequatemonitoringwasquestioned.
• Therequiredperiodofmonitoringshouldbeextendedfromoneyeartoallowamorevalidassessmentofsuccess.
• Abatboxschemeshouldonlybeerectedinanareathatisalreadyinusebybatsandthatboxesshouldbelocatedasclosetotheoriginalroostaspossible.
• Itwastheopinionofonecontributorthatsomeschemeshavebeenplacedtooclosetoanewroadandthattoomanyboxeswereerected.
• BatboxesonmasonrybridgewallsdonotattractthetargetspeciesofDaubenton’sandNatterer’sbats.
• Batboxesmayreplacetreeroostsbutnotmaternityroosts;anexamplewasgivenofapipistrellecolonyattemptingtouseaseriesofbuildingsafterbeingexcludedfromtheoriginalroost,ratherthanusingbatboxesthathadbeenerectedasthemitigationmeasure.
• Batboxesareasuitablemitigationmeasureforthelossofasmallroostofacommonspecies.
• Batboxesareusefulastransitionalandmatingroostsandoccasionallyashibernationsites.
• Schweglerbattubes(1FR,2FR&1GS)arerecommendedbyoneecologistforDaubenton’sbatsexcludedfrombridgecrevices,wheretheseareattachedtotheundersideofarches.
4.3 online survey opinions
AsmentionedinChapter3,manycontributorstotheSurveyMonkeysuppliedfeedbackontheuseofbatboxesinadditiontothatpromptedbythethirteenquestions,themainpointsraisedarepresentedhere:
4.4 Bat conservation trust’s Bat Box information PackThestudyundertakenbySwift(2004)formedthebasisforarevisedleafletonbatboxesintheUK,whichisavailableasaneightpagedownloadablefile(www.bats.org.uk).Someofthemainrecommendationsin
43
thisleafletarethattheboxshouldbedraughtproofandmadeofathermallystablematerialsuchasuntreatedwood,woodcrete,brickorstone.Ideallytheboxshouldhaveseveralinternalchambers.Lackofwarmthisnotedasthemostimportantknowncauseofbatboxfailure,soadviceisgivenforplacingboxesforuseasnurserysitesinasoutherlyorwesterlyaspectandthatanumberofboxesshouldbeplacedontheonetreetoprovidethebatswithavarietyofroostingtemperatures.Locationisalsoconsideredtobeakeyfactorinthesuccessofabatbox,soboxesshouldbeerectedwherebatsareknowntofeed,suchasclosetowaterortrees,andalsoclosetolinearfeaturessuchastreelinesorhedgerowsthatbatsusefornavigationpurposes.
4.5 Bat conservation ireland’s Bat Box guidance notes for Agri-environmental schemes
TheseguidelineswereupdatedinJanuary2015tocoincidewiththenewGLASagri-environmentalschemeandareavailableasasixpagedownloadablefile(www.batconservationireland.org).Someofthemainrecommendationsinthisdocumentarethatboxesshouldbelocatedonthefarmwherebatshavebeenseenflying,woodcreteboxesshouldbeusedbecauseoftheirdurability,anumberofboxtypesshouldbeerectedingroupsofthreefacingdifferentdirections,andboxesshouldnotbelocatedinilluminatedpartsofthefarm.
4.6 Bat boxes as a monitoring tool
woodlandandnottheindividualbatbox.Certaincaveatswereraised,suchasthefactthatpopulationestimatescouldnotbereliablymadeusingthismethod,theinvasivenatureofsuchamethodandthepotentialrisktoexistingwoodlandbatcommunitiesusingnaturalcavitiesbyintroducinglargenumbersofartificialroosts.
Anumberoftheseconcernshavesincebeeninvestigatedandthereisincreasingevidencetosupporttheuseofbatboxschemesasasuitablemonitoringtoolforselectedspecies.InapresentationtotheBelgianBatHousemeetingsreferencedearlier,MatthewDoddsstatedthatbatboxesshouldnowbeconsideredtobeapassivemonitoringtool,disturbancecanbeminimisedbyadoptingasuitableprotocol,suitablespeciesareNatterer’s,Daubenton’sandbrownlong-eared,boxesarejustasreadilyusedinmaturedeciduouswoodlandasconiferous,birdaccesstoboxesneedstobeprevented,batsusingboxesdonotabandonnaturalroostsandappropriatemodellingwilldetectpopulationfluctuations.TheinformationbasisforthesestatementshasprimarilycomefromstudiesbymembersoftheNorthBucksBatGroupinFinemereWood,Buckinghamshire,severalofwhichhavebeensubmittedforMasterandPhDtheses(Dodds,2008;Phillips,2009;Bilston,2011).
InGuidelinesforSurveillanceandMonitoringofEuropeanBats(Battersby,2010)thequestionofusingcountsofcoloniesofbatsinbatboxesasameansofmonitoringbatswasdiscussed.Theconclusionwasthatthismightbetheonlysuitablemethodforsomewoodlandspecieswhosenaturalroostsareseldomfoundandwhichoftenusearoostnetwork,whichinIrelandincludesDaubenton’s,Natterer’sandbrownlong-earedbats.However,itwasclearlystatedthatinsuchcasesthesamplingunitwouldbetheareaof
4.7 guidelines for a robust experimental study of bat box use in ireland
AlthoughalimitedamountofinformationwasredeemedfromtheVWTbatboxscheme,probablythelargestsingleschemeinIreland,significantresultswereobtainedandwhencombinedwithresultsfromotherstudiesclearlydemonstratethatbatboxeshaveapositiveroletoplayinbatconservationandecology.However,moredataareneededinordertomaximisethepotentialbatboxeshaveasconservation,mitigationormonitoringtools.
Inconcludingremarksundertheheading‘ManagementImplications’intheirpaper‘ThinkingOutsidethe
44
Box:AReviewofArtificialRoostsforBats’,Mering&Chambers(2014)statedthatadditionalresearchisneededandshouldfocusonmeasuringaconsistentsetofparametersthatcanbecomparedacrossstudies,suchasdimensionsandvolumeofartificialroosts,percentageoccupancy,location,height,aspect,typeofuseandmicroclimate–temperatureatleast.
JustovertenyearsearlierAltringham(2003)madeanappealforasystematicstudyofthevalueofbatboxesandsuggestedapossibleprojectdesign:•Minimumof50boxes•Ifusingasinglemodel,placeboxessothatoccupancycanbecomparedinrelationtoexposuretosun,heightaboveground,treespecies,entranceobstructionbyvegetation,habitattype,microhabitat–suchaswoodlandedgevsinterior•Checkboxesfrequently–monthlyApriltoOctober•Decideonthelevelofinformationcollectedbutaimtominimisedisturbance•Tobeabletodetermineifboxesattractbatsintoahabitat,measurebatactivitybeforeandaftertheintroductionofbatboxes
Poulton(2006)alsoprovidedguidelinesforabatboxschemethatwouldallowmorepowerfulanalysisoftheeffectsofthevariousfactorsatplay,whichwasbasedontheoutcomeofhisanalysisoftheentireVWTbatboxdatabase.
TheguidelinesthatarerelevanttoIrelandareasfollows:
•Selecttensitesthatcouldbecomfortablymonitoredforanumberofyearsandthathadgoodgeographicalspread,butavoidsitesataltitudeorclosetourbanareas•Ateachsite,selecttwentytreesofseveralgenera,inallpartsofthewoodlandusingagridsystemtoensurearandomorregularlocation•Determinethenumberofboxespertree–iffourmodelsarebeingused,oneofeachpertree•Withintheconstraintsofthetree,randomlylocateeachboxatauniqueheightandorientation•Bi-monthlyvisitsshouldgiveasufficientlydetailedpatternofoccupancythroughouttheyear•Continuethesurveyforatleasttwowholeyearsbutpreferablyfourtofivetoaccountforaberrantseasonaloryeareffects
Thisdesignwouldrequireatotalof800boxes,200ofeachoffourtypes,locatedon200treesandoverafive-yearperiodwouldgiveriseto24,000batboxinspections.
Bilston(2014)alsoprovidesguidelinesforfuturebatboxprojectsonwoodlandspecialistspecies,basedonstudiescarriedoutsince2008inwoodlandsinBuckinghamshireandOxfordshire:
• Placingbatboxesatvaryingheights(3mto6m)appearstoattractmorespecies
• Placebatboxesapproximately20mapartfromeachother
• Ensuretheboxisshadedfromsunformostoftheday
• Erectboxesindifferentcompartmentswithinmanagedwoodlandstoallowbatstomoveifnecessary
• Use2FNor1FSboxesthathavebeenmodified
Muchoftheworkinvolvedwithrunningabatboxschemeisnotinvasive,asitisusuallypossibletodeterminethespeciesorspeciesgroupinaboxwithouthandlingtheanimals,therefore,ahandlinglicenceistechnicallyunnecessary.However,itisdesirablethatalicensedandtrainedbatworkerbepresentduringallbatboxinspectionsincasebatsneedtobehandledafteropeningthebox.ObviouslyanystudythatseekstogatherinformationontheindividualswithinagroupwillrequiretherelevantlicencestobeissuedbytheNPWS.
Photograph: 1ff and 2fn bat boxes,
45Photograph: Whiskered bat
46
RefeRencesAltringham,J.D.(2003).Britishbats.HarperCollinsPublishers,London,UK.
Aughney,T.(2008).Aninvestigationoftheimpactofdevelopmentprojectsonbatpopulations:comparingpreandpostdevelopmentbatfaunas.www.batconservationireland.org
BatConservationTrust.(2014).Batboxinformationpack.www.bats.org.uk
BatConservationIreland.(2015).Batsandbatboxes:GuidancenotesforAgri-environmentalschemes.www.batconservationireland.org
Bateman,A.(2007).AsmallmammalpopulationstudyinCoolePark,Gort,CountyGalway.ThesissubmittedforthedegreeofB.Sc.(Hons).DepartmentofZoology,NationalUniversityofIreland,Galway.
Battersby,J.(comp.)(2010).GuidelinesforsurveillanceandmonitoringofEuropeanbats.EUROBATSPublicationSeriesNo.5UNEP.EUROBATS.www.eurobats.org
Benzal,J.(1991).Populationdynamicsofthebrownlongearedbat(Plecotusauritus)occupyingbirdboxesinapineforestplantationincentralSpain.NetherlandsJournalofZoology,41(4),241-249.
Bilston,H.(2014).MaximisingoccupationofbatboxesinanancientwoodlandinBuckinghamshire:asummaryofrecentresearch.BSGEcologyreport.
Boye,P.andDietz,M.(2005).Developmentofgoodpracticeguidelineforwoodlandmanagementforbats.EnglishNatureResearchReportNo.661.Peterborough.
Boyle,P.andMcHughM.(2008).Managementplan–KnockmaHill,Co.Galway.NationalParksandWildlifeService.www.npws.ie
Buckley,D.J.,Puechmaille,S.J.,Roche,N.andTeeling,E.C.(2011).AcriticalassessmentofthepresenceofBarbastellabarbastellusandNyctalusnoctuleinIrelandwithadescriptionofN.leisleriecholocationcallsfromIreland.HystrixIt.J.Mamm.22(1),111-127.
Condell,N.(2007).Aninvestigationintosmallmammaltrappingtechniques.ThesissubmittedforthedegreeofB.Sc.(Hons).DepartmentofZoology,NationalUniversityofIreland,Galway.
Connor,L.(2003).AhabitatstudyofsmallmammalsinCoolePark,Gort,CountyGalway.ThesissubmittedforthedegreeofB.Sc.(Hons).DepartmentofZoology,NationalUniversityofIreland,Galway.
Dietz,C.,VonHelverson,Otto.andNill,D.(2009).BatsofBritain,EuropeandNorthwestAfrica.A&CBlack,London.UK.
Dodds,M.(2008)Acomparisonbetweenacousticsamplingandbatboxinspectionastoolsforassessingandmonitoringbatpopulationsinwoodland.M.Sc.ThesisTheUniversityofBirmingham.
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Entwistle,A.C.,Racey,P.A.andSpeakman,J.R.(1997).RoostselectionbytheBrownLong-earedBat(PlecotusAuritus).JournalofAppliedEcology,34:399-408.
Flaquer,C.,Torre,I.,andRuiz-Jarillo,R.(2006).ThevalueofbatboxesintheconservationofPipistrelluspygmaeusinwetlandricepaddies.BiologicalConservation,128,223-230.
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Guillot,F.(2003).DietofthepipistrellebatbyanalysisoffaecalpelletscollectedinbatboxesinCountyGalway.UnpublishedB.Sc.(Hons)ThesisNationalUniversityofIreland,Galway.
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APPendices
table A: summary of events recorded during visits to Portumna bat boxes for the years 1999 to 2015
year
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
monTh
March
April – October
February, April – October
May – October
April, August, November
May, August, September
April, May, August, October
May, September
April, May, September
April, July, September, October
April, May
April, May, September
acTiViTy obserVaTions
62 Schwegler boxes erected
Boxes inspected monthly
Boxes inspected monthly
Boxes inspected monthly – none in April due to Foot &
Mouth.
Seasonal inspections commence
Seasonal inspections
Seasonal inspections
Seasonal inspections
Seasonal inspections
Four inspections
Only Spring inspections
Seasonal inspections
Bird activity in most of the 2FNs during first month; first bats found in May - three pipistrelles & 2 brown long-eareds; slow occupation of 1FFs at first, but by Oct. equal numbers of both 1FFs and 2FNs being used by pipistrelles; small groups of long-eareds in 2FNs from June onwards. Hibernation boxes being used by birds.
February – one pipistrelle in each hibernation box. May - dead pipistrelle bat in 1FF box – may have been trapped during April inspection; Hibernation boxes being used by birds from April onwards; Group of 20 pipistrelles in a 1FF; Group of 12 long-eareds in a hibernation box, also single bats.
Discovery in April that Two 1FFs (Boxes 125 & 126) and one 2FN (Box 19) stolen; one Leisler’s bat recorded in a hibernation box.
May – two long-eared bats roosting in a 2FN box with a full nest, but without birds. September – 8 semi torpid pipistrelles in a hibernation box.
October – group of pipistrelles in a hibernation box.
Groups of long-eareds in different boxes both visits.
May – dead long-eared and pipistrelle found in separate boxes – no obvious cause of death. September – dead Leisler’s bat and a dead unidentified juvenile bat found in separate boxes – no obvious cause of death. Group of pipistrelles in a hibernation box.
April – Box 1 removed; Group of long-eareds using hibernation box and also found in some of the 1FFs.
April – Groups of long-eareds found in three different 1FFS.
Dead pipistrelle in 1FF box number 110 – no obvious cause of death.
appendix i - summary tables of visits to VWT schemes
49
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
February, March, April
March, April
August
May
May
April
No autumn checks
Only Spring inspections
Only one inspection
Only one inspection
Only one inspection
August inspection planned
In February the wire of those boxes that could be easily loosened were repositioned on the same tree – nine pipistrelles and one long-eared recorded, most bats roosting singly. One pipistrelle in a hibernation box.
March – wire removed from many of the boxes and boxes rehung using aluminium nails. Box 116 on ground, box 103 – hinge damaged so removed, box 5 removed. Dead long-eared in 2FN box 29 – no obvious cause of death. Group of long-eareds in 2FN box number 18.
August – BCIreland take biometrics from long-eareds. Box 101 removed. Three dead bats found in separate boxes – no obvious cause of death.
Two groups of long-eareds in two different 2FN boxes; 18 Leisler’s counted as they flew out of 2FN box number 30.
Three groups of long-eareds in three different 2FN boxes; four boxes at lake shore not checked to prevent disturbance to nesting birds on island.
Twenty six 2FN boxes and twenty four 1FF boxes remain accessible to bats, both hibernation boxes need to be removed as doors cannot be opened. Group of ten pipistrelles and 10 long-eareds in two separate 2FN boxes; group of 15 long-eareds in 1FF box number 114 and another group of 15 in 1FF box number 123; group of twelve pipistrelles in 1FF box number 127.
1999
2000
March
April – October
April - October
50 2FNs erected
Boxes inspected monthly
Boxes inspected monthly
First bats recorded in May – two male pipistrelles in two boxes, bat droppings in other boxes and bird nests; First Leisler’s bat recorded in box in Coole Park; Male pipistrelles recorded in separate boxes in both Coole & Garryland in autumn, male and female Leisler’s found also. Dead pipistrelle found in September – no obvious cause of death. October – boxes 7 & 8 inaccessible due to turlough.
Dead long-eared bat found in box 8 – presumed drowned, so boxes moved to tree further away from winter water level. Female whiskered/Brandt’s bat recorded. Groups of long-eareds occurring in Garryland. Only single or low numbers of pipistrelles and Leisler’s in Coole.
year monTh acTiViTy obserVaTions
table B: summary of events recorded during visits to coole-Garryland bat boxes for the years 1999 to 2015
50
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
May to October
April – October
May, August, September
April, May, September
May, September
April, June, September
April, May, July
April, May
April, May, Sept
May
March
March, Sept
July
May
Boxes inspected monthly – none in April due to Foot &
Mouth.
Boxes inspected monthly
Seasonal inspections commence
Seasonal inspections
Seasonal inspections
Seasonal inspections
Seasonal inspections
Spring inspections
Seasonal inspections
One inspection
One inspection
Seasonal inspections
No visit
One inspection
One inspection
Bird nests in boxes in May, dead chicks found in June. Groups of long-eareds found frequently.
Group of ten Daubenton’s bats recorded for the first time in August in Garryland.
Ten boxes from Coole removed and erected in Garryland. Group of Daubenton’s and long-eareds recorded in May; three groups of Daubenton’s recorded in August; one group of Daubenton’s in September.
A group of Daubenton’s recorded each month, as well as groups of long-eareds and pipistrelles. Three decomposed dead bats recorded in May, no species identification possible.
Groups of Daubenton’s, pipistrelles and long-eareds found both months, also single or low numbers of pipistrelles.
Groups of Daubenton’s, pipistrelles and long-eareds found in all months, but only low numbers in September.
Tree with boxes 43/44 fell so boxes removed. Naked baby bat observed in box of group of pipistrelles in May so maternity roost confirmed. Dead juvenile long-eared found in July so breeding of that species also confirmed.
Two male pipistrelle and Daubenton’s bats in box 40 in April.
No groups of any species recorded on visits.
Scheme handed over to the NPWS. In May only one pipistrelle recorded, possibility that some areas with boxes had been flooded previous winter. Forty of the forty eight boxes had nesting material.
One pipistrelle recorded, 23 boxes had bat droppings, also nibbled acorns.
Daubenton’s recorded again in small numbers; again many boxes with nesting material.
One soprano pipistrelle identified, again many boxes with nesting material. Two active wasp nests, one old wasp nest.
No bat recorded; some droppings, thirty six boxes with nesting material or eggs, two boxes found on the ground – one with a wood mouse, both rehung.
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table c: summary of events recorded during visits to knockma bat boxes for the years 1999 to 2015
year
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
monTh
MarchApril – October
April – October
May – October
May – July
May, August, September
May, June, August, September
May, July
February, July
March, June
February, June
May
July
January
acTiViTy obserVaTions
50 2FNs erectedBoxes inspected
monthly
Boxes inspected monthly
Boxes inspected monthly – none in April due to Foot &
Mouth.
Boxes inspected monthly
Seasonal inspections commence
Seasonal inspections
Seasonal inspections
Seasonal inspections
Seasonal inspections
One inspection
One inspection
One inspection
One inspection
No bats or droppings recorded during April, droppings in two boxes by May, droppings in 12 boxes by June, three male pipistrelles in three boxes recorded in July, one long-eared and one Leisler’s bat recorded in August, all three species present in low numbers in Sept and October.
Low numbers of pipistrelle and long-eared bats recorded at all visits, small groups of Leisler’s bats recorded from June onwards, but singles of all species in September and October.
Mainly low numbers of pipistrelle and Leisler’s bats, no long-eareds recorded.
38 boxes removed in March.
No bats recorded in May, two more boxes removed. Scheme handed over to NPWS.
12 new boxes erected of three types to bring total to 22. Low numbers of bats – pipistrelle, Leisler’s and long-eared recorded.
Low numbers of pipistrelle, Leisler’s and long-eared bats recorded during both months.
Low numbers of pipistrelle and Leisler’s recorded during both months, long-eared bat recorded again in July.
Low numbers of pipistrelle and Leisler’s recorded during both months.
One pipistrelle in February; five pipistrelles in separate boxes in June, Leisler’s bat droppings in two boxes.
Two Leisler’s bats in two boxes; two pipistrelle bats in two boxes.
Two Leisler’s bats in two boxes; one pipistrelle bat in a box, bird nests removed.
One Leisler’s bat in one box, 1, 3 and 4 pipistrelles in three other boxes.
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2012
2013
2014
2015
January
January, August
January
January, June
Seasonal inspections
Seasonal inspections
One inspection
Seasonal inspections
Four Leisler’s bats in one box, a single Leisler’s in another box and three pipistrelles in one box.
Single pipistrelles in five boxes in January; three single pipistrelles in three boxes in August, one Leisler’s bat.
Two pipistrelles in two boxes,
Two Leisler’s in two boxes in January; droppings in some boxes, single Leisler’s in one box, two Leisler’s in one box and two single pipistrelles in two boxes.
appendix ii - bat box survey questionnaire
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54
55
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The Vincent Wildlife TrustTheVincentWildlifeTrusthasbeenplayingakeyroleinmammalconservationintheRepublicofIrelandsince1991,specificallybatconservation.VWTstaffworkindependently,butareincloseliaisonwiththeNationalParksandWildlifeService.Today,theTrustiscurrentlyworkingonanumberofIrishmammalspecies.Whereaneedisidentified,theTrustwillinitiatearesearchprogrammethatwillsupportotherbodiesworkingtosafeguardthefutureofallmammalsinIreland.
The Vincent Wildlife Trust, Donaghpatrick, Headford, County GalwayTel: 093 35304, Email: [email protected], www.mammals-in-ireland.ie
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