Herald - Issue 419

Page 52 • The HERALD • 17th February 2022 v SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SPECIALISTS v SPADEWORK Family Landscaping & Fencing Team ] Decking & Natural Sandstone Paving ] Patios ] Driveways ] Block Paving ] Turfing ] All Types of Domestic & Commercial Fencing ] Security Fencing Supplied & Fitted Tel: (023) 8089 4909 Mobile: 07703 566814 u F ree E stimates u F ully I nsured Fred Hurst 023 8084 2191 or 07761 467217 • Grass Cutting • Garden Clearance • Hedge Cutting • Fallen Trees Cleared • Mini Digger Hire with Operator • Property Clearance • Small Demolition • Tractor Flail Cutting FULLY INSURED v FREE QUOTATIONS Innovators in Metal Quality Iron Works Guaranteed. Small and large jobs undertaken, from gates and railings to weathervanes & curtain poles. Call Nathan on 07500 016546 customerservices@phoenixironworks.co.uk www.phoenixironworks.co.uk Unit B, Brokenford Business Centre, Brokenford Lane, Totton, Southampton, SO40 9LZ | DOWN THE GARDEN PATH | STARS OF THE NIGHT Working together to create a ‘batty’ neighbourhood Information from Bat Conservation Trust and The Wildlife Trust The Care of and Pruning of Roses Woodlands Gardening Club meets on the second Tuesday of the month. Meetings start at 7.30pm at Hanger Farm in Totton, and their next meeting takes place on Tuesday 8th March for a talk by Stewart Pocock titled ‘ e care of and pruning of Roses’. Visitors will be very welcome at £2.50; more information about the club, call Susanna on: 023 8029 2953. Bats are nocturnal creatures, seen dimly at dusk and very occasionally during the day. eir large wings make them look bigger than they really are, and as they swoop down chasing insects, people sometimes feel uneasy. Misunderstandings can arise from just not knowing much about them, despite the fact that one in four mammal species is a bat. Roosting Bats do not make nests, but choose to roost in various places throughout the year. ey hang upside down or creep into cracks and crevices to roost. Some prefer hollow trees, others caves, whereas some use both at di erent times. Many shelter in buildings, behind hanging tiles and boarding, or in roof spaces. For several weeks in summer females gather in a maternity roost, choosing somewhere warm to give birth and look a er their baby. ey remain here until the young are able to y and feed themselves. Hibernation Because there are few ying insects (bat food) to be found in the UK during winter, British bats hibernate. ey nd somewhere cool and humid like a disused tunnel or cave free from disturbance and tuck themselves away. eir heart rate and breathing slow down and their temperature drops to save energy. Occasionally you may see a bat ying during the winter, as they sometimes wake to move to a new site or to look for food or water. Did you know of over 1,300 worldwide, 17 are known to breed in the UK? ese amazing mammals range from the pipistrelle, weighing only 4-7g, (about the same as a 2p coin) to the noctule, weighing in at up to 40g! (about the same as four £1 coins). Bats are mammals Like us and many of our pets, they give birth to live defenseless young that feed on their mother’s milk. Bats are not blind ey can see, but at night their ears are more important than their eyes. ey use echolocation, a system of locating things by sound, to nd their way and catch their food in the dark. Bats are threatened ere are fewer wooded areas, ponds and open grass spaces for bats to feed and roost as roads and buildings have now replaced them. ese features can also create barriers for some bats. Links to the countryside, like hedges and front gardens that make up green corridors, have been lost or fragmented. You can help them ere are estimated to be over 15 million gardens in the UK, covering an area greater than all the National Nature Reserves combined! So our gardens and public green spaces are vitally important habitats for wildlife, including bats. By taking small steps to make them more wildlife friendly we can make a big di erence – and there are lots of bene ts for gardeners too. January-February Bats are hibernating to conserve energy as insects are hard to nd. March As the weather gets warmer bats wake more o en to feed. April-May Bats are more active, feeding most nights. Females are forming maternity groups, usually returning to roosts previously used. June-July Females give birth, usually to a single pup, suckling them frequently. Young start ying from about three weeks. September, October, November Mating occurs in autumn. Bats feed as much as they can preparing for winter, but spend longer periods torpid (sluggish and cold). December Most bats drop their temperatures further and go into hibernation. All British bats eat insects Flying uses lots of energy so bats have huge appetites, each species having their own favourites. A pipistrelle can eat more than 500 tiny insects in an hour. Some species even eat spiders! Common Pipistrelle (Photo credit: Tom Marshall)