| This summer saw Somerset’s largest Big Bat Count to date in Frome. Frome Town Council, the Wild Bunch and over 50 local volunteers took part in the community event and recorded a whopping 169 bats – the most bats recorded in a night for a Somerset Bat Group!
Using equipment provided by Somerset Bat Group, who assisted the group with using the recording devices, the bat spotters headed out to various locations around town. As in the Big Bat Count that took place in May, Soprano and Common Pipistrelle were again the most commonly recorded species. However, this time saw nearly as many of the Noctule species along with a good number of Serotine, another larger bat species. There may also have been an unrecorded flyby of a Greater Horseshoe bat as well as several recordings of the rarer species which will be confirmed following analysis later this year. To take a look at the full results, head to iNaturalist, the Community Wildlife Mapping Platform. For more information about bats and advice on how to support the bat population follow the link: Somerset Bat Group – Somerset Bat Group was formed in 1985 to help protect bats in the county of Somerset, UK
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Somerset’s most successful Big Bat Count
- By Kate Welsh, Assistant Clerk (Community)