Bats about Durham
We went bat hunting last night! We arrived at the Botanic Gardens Visitor Centre at 8 o'clock and Allan Watson, who is the University's Health and Safety Service Director, gave us a slide show and talk about bats. It was an excellent talk and I learned that I probably do have bats roosting somewhere on my house, although I don't know what species. They do not hang in the lofts as portrayed but like to find little nooks and crannies to hide in. Boxed eaves are excellent and they will all cram in together. Their droppings are like mouse droppings but when you rub them between your fingers they just disintegrate because of their diet of insects. I have found droppings on my bedroom window and windowsill which is what confirms my suspicion that they are roosting somewhere above. The house is also south facing which is what they like so that they can conserve energy by using the warmth from the sun. Just after 9 o'clock, having had a quick lesson on how to us...