The Norfolk Bat Group is a voluntaray wildlife conservation group focussing on the conservation of wild bats within the English county of Norfolk. The Norfolk group were first formed in 1961 and were the first of the present day ninety county based bat groups in the UK.

Site copyright © The Norfolk Bat Group

2004 News

The Thetford Forest Bat Box checks this year are different to most of the those held over the past 27 years of the project:-

There are fewer - typically they used to be spread over ten part days per year. This year they will take up most of the day and there will only be two dates - both Sundays - one in the spring and one in the autumn.

The first is:

Sunday 25th April starting from Brandon Country Park car park at 9.30 am and taking all day.

Second one is:

Sunday 10th October starting from Brandon Country Park car park at 9.30 am and taking all day.

Brandon Country Park is situated just south of Brandon, Suffolk.

Grid reference TF788853.


  More news…

Cold Nights

We have had a long run of cold nights in April and May this year which considerably reduces the biomass of night flying insects available to bats at supper time. However, this does not seem to have impacted significantly on the formation of bat maternity colonies which have been found even earlier than ever. If this is all part of global warming and the relatively milder winters is open to interpretation. Very few bats have been handled by workers in the county this spring, but those seen at Thetford on April 25th were rather on the thin side.

A few Pipistrelles (55 kHz) were back in the Seething colony by April 8th (very early); Natterers were found to be back in the timber breeding crevice at Waxham barn around April 28th, and Barbastelles were present in their known Norfolk colony by May 23rd.


New Bat Hibernation Tunnel

PHOTO: Kevin Simmonds

March 23rd 2004

Two Mile Bottom - April 2004 News

Another exciting piece of news is that work on a new bat hibernation tunnel has been started in the Thetford Forest near to Two Mile Bottom. This has been possible not only with the foresight and considerable dedication of members of the local Forestry Commission team at Santon Downham, but with financial help from the Environment Agency and encouragement and assistance from members of both the Norfolk Bat Group and the Suffolk Bat Group.

The picture shows the early stages of construction in March 2004 with the footings in place & blocks laid out on along the east side. It will be approximately "y" shaped, with entrance turns to reduce light penetration. It is just over 100 meters long in total and 1.3 meters wide and 2 meters high. We believe this will be the largest artificial site ever constructed specifically for hibernating bats in the U.K.

Looking north both sides of the main run of tunnel have been laid out to 3 blocks high.

PHOTO: John Goldsmith April 24th 2004

This is the side tunnel built to full height before the roof and showing vent pipes at the far end.

PHOTO: John Goldsmith April 24th 2004

This shows the entrance before the splays have been built.

PHOTO: John Goldsmith April 24th 2004

This shows the tunnel largely completed looking south from the entrance near the river.

PHOTO: Nick Gibbons May 26th 2004

Site copyright © The Norfolk Bat Group