Our Ecology consultants have used DNA testing to identify the species of bats roosting at The Grange. and have discover the rare Lesser Horseshoe, Pipistrelle, Brown Long-eared to name but a few. We are delighted to be a refuge for so many furry flying friends! As the weather cools, like the badgers, the bats are also turning toward hibernation. So the building works have been timed around them, and bat boxes and tunnels have been installed to provide safe, dark, undisturbed spaces for them to sleep in. We also discovered how damaging artificial light can be to wildlife, affecting the bats’ sense of timing, navigation and food sources, so we’ve dimmed our outdoor lights, and factored this into our future museum lighting plan. They can expect a cosy winter ahead and for many years to come.

One of the largest British bats living at the Grange is the Serotine at 6-8cm long, The serotine has a taste for beetles, moths and other flying insects. You can listen for the squeaking sound it makes just before emerging at dusk to hunt. They like to take shelter in old buildings and hibernate overwinter before setting up maternity roosts and birthing a single pup in the summer months. We’ll be exploring other bat species living at the Grange over the coming months.