Bats roosting at Tortworth
The arboretum has its first resident bat.
A number of trees have been identified by the Avon Bat Group as offering suitable roosting opportunities for bats.
These have been checked on a regular basis since the summer and on Tuesday 22nd December the Bat Group found our first bat in residence. The bat was roosting underneath the bark on a giant redwood (Sequoia giganteum) at the top of the arboretum.
This is one of only a few records of bats roosting in giant redwood trees and so is quite an exciting find. The bat, a pipistrelle, is one of the UK’s most common species and has been encountered feeding in the arboretum before but, until now, hasn’t been confirmed as roosting there.
A huge thank you to the Avon Bat Group for looking after the bats in the woodland!