Night life in Waipawa: Follow those bats

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. Photo / The Conservation Company

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 have revealed that for much of January, there were up to 45 bats calling 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 out at least some of their hidey holes over the next few weeks. “We have chosen this time of year as they are actually pretty active socially in March, it’s when mating occurs.”

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

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

“With a bit of luck we can find some new roosts and get them protected in some way. Simply knowing where those roosts are will be a help” 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, open spaces manager for CHBDC, says the council is thrilled that these tiny creatures are so prevalent in our district and is 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 out in New Zealand so far. Kay says to ensure the best outcomes, they have been researching all the various types of artificial roosts, placement and designs, and also 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.

If you spot bat activity around your property, you can contact The Conservation Company on 021 629 584 or email info@theconservationcompany.co.nz