1. Devon Greater Horseshoe Bat Project
Hugh Clarke
Devon Greater Horseshoe Bat Project
Welcome to the GHB Project. My name is Helen Parr and I’m the Community Engagement Officer on the project. Overview of GHB in Devon, and then the project itself. There’ll be time for questions afterwards, but if you want to ask anything as we go along that’s fine.

2. Greater horseshoe bat Rhinolophus ferrumequinum
GHB – not the best looking bat but looks weird because of its nose leaf, used for echo locating
English Nature 1998
A flying greater horseshoe bat is like a person in fog, with an effective sensory range of only 5 to 10 metres

3. Greater horseshoe bat Weighs 14-34g Lives up to 30 years
Up to 40cm wingspan
Weighs 14-34g
Lives up to 30 years
One young per year
Full size at 2 months old
Has declined by 98% in 100 years
One of the longest lived and largest bats in the UK. They can live for up to 30 years – thought to be due to their large amounts of torpor. However average age is 10 years. Up to one young per year but do not start reproducing until about 6 years of age and tend to have one young every 2 years. Infant mortality is high.
Over the last years numbers have declined by 90%. Around 10,000 left in UK in the south west and south Wales – one third of these in Devon.
Phil Wilson

4. HUNTING &FEEDing
Takes about 30 minutes to catch, dismember and eat a moth
Uses temporary roost in between feeding sessions to digest
They will fly, catch prey and rest on temporary perches throughout the night
English Nature 1998

5. Close up
GHB mate in the autumn but the females delay fertilisation until the Spring. Tracked individuals have been known to travel up to 100 miles during the mating season.
Mike Symes

6. hibernating Underground in caves Will wake and feed for energy
Group hibernation puts them at risk
Whilst maternity roosts need to be dry and warm, winter roosts must be cold and dry. Normally this will be in limestone caves

7. habitats
Dung beetles are crucial for the mothers and for young bats ..
Rich woodlands provide wasps and moths.
A healthy habitat is vital to provide plenty of the correct prey. Some worming treatments for cattle make dung sterile so using the right product can make a huge difference. Woodlands, hedgerows and species rich meadows are also essential.
Wildflower meadows for cockchafer grubs – adult cockchafers are perfect prey for greater horseshoe bats.

8. Devon has a landscape with good links such as hedges
landscapes
Devon has a landscape with good links such as hedges
Devon with it’s networks of hedgerows and provides not only wonderful landscapes for people but an ideal habitat for GHB

9. Habitats 98% of species rich grasslands have been lost
50% Hedgerows have been removed
98% of species rich grasslands have been lost during the last century.
Hedgerows have also been lost at alarming rates.
The demise of the greater horseshoe bat has mirrored these declines.
The decline in GHB mirrors that of hedgerows and species rich meadows. However the biodiversity of these are now well understood and much is being done by landowners to reverse this trend
Hugh Clarke

10. Our project Working with landowners Bringing bats to people
Improving our knowledge

11. Working with landowners
Work with farmers to help make good habitats for bats
50 visits done to end year
4 events

12. Working with landowners
RESTORATION
HEDGES
Connections, good management. Flailed poor, vs diverse

13. Bringing bats to people
School and community groups:
learn
enhance their surroundings
accreditation
…to help the bats
Schools. 17 schools involved across the county

14. Improving our knowledge
Over 1 million files – 178,672 bat passes; 872,193 ‘noise’ files
So far 1,226 GHB (2 of 5 surveys)
A lot of work still to do!
….not least securing the 5-year project!

15. Devon Greater horseshoe bat Project
Partnership project