Pip, Pip, Pip - Hooray

Last night was a bright moonlit night and at Castle Water part of Rye Harbour nature reserve we went in search of a very special pipistrelle bat - the Nathusius' pipistrelle, the largest of our THREE pipistrelle species.

A licensed team led by Daniel Hargreaves set two harp traps with sound lures and during a night busy with mosquitos we caught 11 Nathusius pipistrelles plus a few soprano pipistrelles and a common pipistrelle. Nathusius' pips are considerably larger than the other two pipistrelles and the 11 individuals were ringed and measured and hair samples and faeces collected. This is the most Nathusius' bats ever caught in a single night at any site in Britain and the information collected will add to the developing picture of this mammal. All 11 were male, but this may be down to using a sound lure.

Click here to find out more about this migratory bat.

Nathusius' pipistrelle wing showing the tiny lightweight numbered ring

Setting the harp trap at the edge of Castle Water.

Close up of the harp trap showing vertical wires and the catching pocket where the bats sit quietly.

A surprise larger bat was this young noctule. We had seen a few noctules at dusk flying high overhead, but we didn't expect to trap one in the ground level trap.