Bat Survey - Idole, Carmarthen
Background
We had the pleasure of recently surveying a set of stables and barns on this beautiful farm, with plans to completely repurpose the land, including many plans to enhance the habitat and its biodiversity.
In need of a quick turnaround to secure planning permission, we did everything we could to help this client and complete our bat surveys as quickly as possible, without compromising on our due diligence and our commitment to bat welfare.
Scoping Survey
We conducted the Preliminary Roost Assessment (PRA) and first emergence survey on the first night. During our inspection of the stables, we found hundreds of bat droppings under a bargeboard, as well as other scattered bat droppings and feeding remains (butterfly/moth wings) inside the stables, so we were expecting bats from the stables.
We had less luck finding any evidence of bats in the barns, but we did find this active bird nest - full of freshly hatched chicks!
Evening Survey
Over our emergence surveys, we discovered a bat roost in the stables, used by a single soprano pipistrelle, who must have been using that roost for years to accumulate the number of bat droppings we found! We managed to identify the bat through DNA analysis, sound analysis, and by visual inspection, as we were able to find the bat in it roost using an endoscope.
Next Steps - What happens if you've got bats?
We got the report ready, complete with impact assessment and bat mitigation plan, within the few days following the final survey, helping the clients secure planning permission and the funding they need for this large-scale project.
In the next steps, we will be writing a European Protected Species licence with Natural Resources Wales to ensure this project can legally go ahead. This will involve us being on site when the bat roost is destroyed to make sure no bats are harmed during this process, and the installation of new bat roosts on site, to make sure this little bat does not lose a roost.
Have you been asked for a bat survey? Contact us to see how we can help, or use our online form to get a quote!
