Study to Monitor Temperature and Humidity in Bat Hibernacula
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SUSSEX BAT GROUP
TEMPERATURE AND RELATIVE HUMIDITY MONITORING IN BAT HIBERNACULA
OVER EXTENDED PERIODS
Background
Little information is available for the conditions that exist
within the West Sussex bat hibernacula, either during the winter
hibernation period or during the summer when bats may still use
these tunnels for roosting. This sort of data will be particularly
pertinent during the autumn when bats will be deciding if conditions
in the hibernacula are right to start hibernation.
There are four tunnels in West Sussex that are regularly used
by bats as hibernacula. These four tunnels are now gated to prevent
disturbance to the bats. This is crucially important during the
winter hibernation period. We do not have any consistent data regarding
the differences in conditions between these tunnels during the
winter or at any other time of year. Understanding these differences
may have a bearing on the observed wide variation in use indicated
by the winter bat counts.
Proposed Study
To locate data loggers within the tunnels, to record Temperature
and Humidity through a full year with the potential to continue
the recording over a number of years.
It is proposed to install two data loggers in each tunnel. One
near to the tunnel entrance and one close to the centre of each
tunnel. The data loggers will be installed at approximately head
height to facilitate access for downloading data.
The data loggers will each be capable of recording approximately
8000 readings. This will allow the data loggers to be left unattended
for long periods collecting the data. Thereby minimising the disturbance
to any roosting or hibernating bats.
Data would be downloaded on a two monthly basis allowing for some
monitoring of bat use during the summer and on each of the ‘normal'
bat counting visits during the winter.
The personnel involved in the summer data collection / bat counts would
be strictly limited to a maximum of say two or three persons, including
at least one appropriately licensed person, to minimise disturbance
but ensure personnel safety.
Data collection personnel will be drawn from Sussex Bat Group
members or hibernacula owners personnel only.
Data will be downloaded from the data loggers to a laptop PC or
similar equipment.
Use of Collected Data
All collected data would be made available to the owners/controllers
of the sites monitored and those organisations that provide the
funding for the project and in addition, Sussex Bat Group, Natural
England and The Sussex Biological Record Centre (if not included
in any of the above interested parties). Provided that the data
was not used for financial gain or published without the consent
of the Sussex Bat Group.
These data should help with decisions regarding the future management
of the hibernacula particularly and to inform decisions regarding
any proposed changes to the hibernacula that may alter the conditions.
i.e. changes to ‘improve' hibernacula that appear to have a low
use by bats.
Contributors
SUSSEX BAT GROUP would like to extend their thanks to the following
organisations that have generously contributed to making this study
possible.
Sussex Biological Record Centre
Natural England
Sussex Bat Group
The
National Trust
The Edward James Foundation, West Dean Estates
Low Weald Countryside
Unit, WSCC
Martin Love
14 th April 2005
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