Bats are truly wonderful species and nothing to fear in the UK. The largest of the 18 species of bat in the UK would still fit in the palm of your hand! They are also one of our best pest controllers with a single bat capable of consuming 3000 midges/mosquitoes every evening! What’s not to love?

At Birchwood we are beyond fortunate to have one of the UK’s rarest bats resident on site. The Lesser Horseshoe bat is one of the smallest bats – only the size of a plum! They feed mainly on midges but also on moths, small wasps and spiders.

We are working closely with specialist bat workers to ensure we conserve these incredible bats. Our first project is creating two special bat houses, designed especially for this species, although we hope they will attract other species too. We are also protecting our river corridor as this the ‘main highway’ the bats use for foraging and getting around. By keeping the river quiet and dark the bats will be able to continue to move around the site safely.