Tiny bats in spotlight

Tracking project to find endangered mammals’ roosts

Just on dusk, tiny bats emerge from the depths of a Waipawa shed, off on their nightly foraging runs looking for insects to eat and water to drink. Each morning those bats return to the shed to roost for the day. Weekly counts reveal that for much of January, up to 45 bats called this home. Then in February, it dropped to 25; and now in March, there are only 15. Where do the other bats go?

Kay Griffiths and her team of bat ecologists and volunteers are hoping to find at least some of their hidey holes over the next few weeks: “We have chosen this time of year as they are active socially in March, it’s when mating occurs.”

Kay expects that by putting tiny trackers on a few and following them for the next couple of weeks, they will be led to some of the bats’ other communal roosts. Most colonies have lots of communal roosts and will shift between roosts almost daily. However, the Waipawa bats return to the same roost over and over. This suggests they don’t have lots of roosts to choose from anymore.

“With a bit of luck we can find some new roosts and get them protected in some way,” says Kay.

Central Hawke’s Bay District Council is encouraging residents to “check before you chop”. This means that any trees due for the chop, with potential roosting cavities in them, get checked for bats before being felled. The best source of advice is Kay Griffiths at The Conservation Company. Kate Luff, council’s open spaces manager, says the council is thrilled these tiny creatures are so prevalent in our district and are happy to support initiatives to help save them from extinction.

Artificial roosts may also provide extra homes, although the bats can be choosy about where they roost and often don’t use the artificial roosts that have been placed in New Zealand so far. Kay says to ensure the best outcomes, they have been researching various types of artificial roosts, placement and designs, and how they could be monitored for occupancy.

Kay gives a big shout-out to the DoC Community Fund and Lotteries Environment and Heritage Fund for recognising the importance of this work and providing funding.

Photo / The Conservation Company If you spot bat activity around your property, you can contact The Conservation Company on 021 629 584 or send an email to info@theconservation company.co.nz The tiny Waipawa bats are being monitored to see if they have found more roosting spots, which The Conservation Company will help to keep safe.

Some of Waipawa’s bats have been roosting in the roof of a corrugated-iron shed.