Bats

March 2009 – Bats are just one of the many species which hunt fungi-eating insects to build up their fat reserves in winter...

imageOne of the earliest signs of spring – but undoubtedly one of the least noticed – is the emergence of bats from their winter hibernation. These are probably our least known and most poorly understood mammals. Most people are barely aware of their existence, yet with 16 British species they are our commonest mammal family.

This lack of understanding even extends to science. It was barely a decade ago that experts discovered an entirely new species, the soprano pipisterelle, in Lancashire. Unknown to science until 1996, incredibly we now think there are as many as a million of these little bats living alongside us.

Small wonder therefore that the public is even more ignorant. Most people think they are blind. In reality they have reasonable sight, but generally navigate with a superb echo location system based on ultra-sonic squeaks. Our nursery rhymes tell us they are a vital spell ingredient and – thanks to Dracula – they will forever be associated with gothic horror. A more real – but still groundless – fear is that they can get tangled in long hair. In fact their superbly sensitive sonar system is more than capable of spotting this on even the darkest night.

Perhaps we should start with hard facts. Although tropical bats eat fruit and drink nectar (and even blood), ours are all insectivores and on the northern edge of their range. Being small, warm-blooded and with high metabolic rates, they have high energy requirements – a serious problem in a Welsh winter when flying insects are scarce. Thus all our bats hibernate (although they will still wake up to hunt dopey insects fooled into emerging on sunny days).

By early spring with their fat reserves seriously depleted, they emerge to spend a hectic eight months feasting on flying insects. It is now that the fertilised egg which has lain dormant inside the female since the previous September implants. One baby is usually born in June, born blind and hairless, but it grows rapidly on very rich milk. By about three weeks it is flying alongside its mother as the pair dash to build up sufficient stores of fat for the coming winter.

As a result of this lifestyle, most bats make small migrations between roosts during the year. Hibernation, for example, might be in a frost-free cave, while the summer nursery is likely to be a tree or building. The last is probably most common, for unlike many creatures, bats are well-adapted to life alongside man. They are clean creatures (even their droppings are dry and odour-free) and they are prodigious pest-controllers (one bat eats 2,000 midges a night).

As a result, human attitudes towards these little hunters have recently undergone a revolution. While once they were disliked and linked to witchcraft, now they are heavily protected.  This is we encounter the only serious drawback of sharing our lives with bats. All are now heavily protected and anyone with a roost must inform the authorities before doing anything which might disturb them. Because of their fondness for dilapidated buildings, this frequently causes problems for routine roof maintenance, let alone barn conversions. 

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Read the latest mushroom-hunting news – what is (and isn’t) up, what it looks like and where to find it . . . plus, of course, cooking and preserving tips. Better still, get regular updates in the comfort of your own home by taking up our free subscription - simply drop us a line via the 'Content' page or e-mail danielr.butler@btopenworld.com . . .

Mushroom Newsletter (10 May 2010)
Mushroom Newsletter (13 April 2010)
Mushroom Newsletter (2 July 2010)
Mushroom Newsletter (23 January 2010)
Mushroom Newsletter (29 July 2010)
Mushroom Newsletter (4 June 2010)
Mushroom Newsletter (8 November)
Mushroom Newsletter (9 December 2009)
Mushroom Newsletter (Chanterelles - July 2010)
Mushroom Newsletter 3 June
Newsletter (1 November)
Newsletter (12 September 2009)
Newsletter (20 October 2009)
Newsletter (28 September 2009)
Newsletter (6 October)
Newsletter (September)
Newsletter 11 August
Newsletter 13 January 2009
Newsletter 20 April 2009
Newsletter 20 May 2009
Newsletter 3 March 2009
Newsletter 4 July

Wild Food

Our ancestors relied on wild food from the fields and woods, great great grandfathers were transported for helping themselves, while Mabey, Mears and Fearnley-Whittingstall have introduced a new generation to its charms. So what free delicacies are available now?

Alexanders
Birch Sap Wine
Chanterelles
Chestnut
Cockles
Elderberries
Hairy Bittercress
Hogweed
Hops (March 2010)
Morel
Pennywort
Ramsoms (May 2010)
Red-legged partridge
Silver Birch
Sloe
St Georges (April 2010)
Stinging Nettles
Wild strawberries

Wildlife Profile

Britain is blessed with a rich and varied fauna - what seasonal highlights are visible now?

Badger
Barn Owl
Bats
Brown Hare
Butterflies
Fieldfares
Frog
Garden Warbler
Great spotted woodpecker
Hedgehogs
Jay
Kingfisher
Mistle Thrush
Mistle Thrush
Moths (July 2010)
Nightjar
Nuthatch (June 2010)
Partridge
Redstart
Roe Deer
Spiders
Tawny Owl

Recipes

Just as we Britons have lost any mushroom lore we might once have possessed, so most of us are at a loss when we finally venture into the kitchen with our haul. In reality, however, mushrooms are one of the easiest things to work with. They have such fantastic flavours, the general rule is to not to mask these with complicated recipes. Most should be cooked, particularly the first time, because they can be indigestible, but otherwise, simple is usually best . . .

Baked eggs and rocket with chilli and yoghurt (June 2010)
Chanterelle and Feta Quiche
Chanterelles a la forestiere
Chicken and Mushroom Pie
Chicken-of-the-Woods Satay
Elderflower Cordial
Grilled Cepes
Jew's Ear on Pasta
Morel Fondue
Morel Stroganoff (March 2010)
Parasol Tempura
Pearl Barley and Wild Mushroom Risotto
Shaggy Ink Cap Soup
St Georges Vol-au-Vents
Venison and Blewit Casserole
Wild Mushroom and Nut Pate
Wild mushroom soup