Daubenton;s Bat, myotis daubentoni, adult, flying over water - Dale Sutton/2020vision
Bat webcam
Watch the live stream from our bat roost at Hanningfield Reservoir Nature Discovery Centre.
In 2000, a bat maternity roost was found in the roof of our Nature Discovery Centre. Every spring, pregnant females come to the roost to give birth and rear their young until they leave in autumn.
The roost is entirely made up of soprano pipistrelle bats; tiny creatures that are about the size of an adult human thumb. The webcam has been installed in a special bat box that was built to encourage more of these fascinating mammals.
Recorded footage from last year
In July 2019 a total count of 1786 was recorded. At the time that was the largest number ever reported for a soprano pipistrelle roost as part of the Bat Conservation Trust’s National Bat Monitoring Programme. In July 2024, a new record of 2136 was observed.
Thank you to Essex Bat Group for their help with this project.
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