Bat Central!

A small dark shape flitting like a swallow as it chases insects in the fading dusk light catches my eye.  “There’s one” I say to my audience of several small children who have come to watch long tailed bats emerge from their roosts in A’Deane’s Bush. 

These tiny “micro” bats spend the night travelling along their favoured foraging routes, catching mosquitoes, beetles and small moths, drinking on the fly from flat stretches of water, resting for periods and socialising.

These fascinating creatures are in serious decline across the country as they are very vulnerable to pests such as rats, possums and cats.

Surveys across Tamatea / Central Hawke’s Bay have revealed that longtailed bats appear to be widespread across our district – perhaps more so than any other area in New Zealand.  Bat Central!!

The Conservation Company has teamed up with Biodiversity Hawke’s Bay and have received funding from the DOC Community Fund and Lotteries Environment and Heritage Fund to try and find out more about three of the known colonies (family group).

“We are hoping to identify exactly where these bats are roosting around the Waipawa and Papanui areas, and what the long-term survival is for bats in the Makaretu area” says Kay Griffiths, ecologist with The Conservation Company. 

General Manager for Biodiversity Hawke’s Bay, Debbie Monahan, says it's an exciting opportunity for us to support important local research which will make a difference to the survival of a critically endangered species.

Photo credit and copyright: The Conservation Company.  Long tailed bat in hand.

6 December 2023

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