Annie Hatt

It’s no secret bats are known, by some, as pests ‘invading’ homes and terrifying families. Blood sucking, ugly, diseased creatures often found in grave yards or swarming around haunted houses. Searching the internet, it is astounding the number of ‘pest’ control companies talking in this way about bats. In all fairness as an ecologist who surveys bats on a regular basis and completely intrigued by their behaviour, my opinion is a completely bias one.

Great crested newts (Tritiurus cristatus) are well known within ecological consultancy as they are a protected species which often crop up within areas of proposed development. They are sensitive creatures which are vulnerable to water changes and therefore suffer due to natural forces including; ponds overgrowing, shallowing and eutrophication, as well as non-natural forces; industrial water pollution, destruction and drainage of ponds, introduced predatory fish and habitat fragmentation. But there may be another force to add into the mix…