Carmarthenshire Bat Group

Grwp Ystlumod Sir Gaerfyrddin

WWBIC currently hosts this page on behalf of Carmarthenshire Bat Group.

For contact related to Carmarthenshire Bat Group please contact Steve Lucas: s.lucas543@btinternet.com or carmsbatgroup@gmail.com, rather than WWBIC.

The Carmarthenshire Bat Group is a small group of volunteers, who undertake a variety of activities such as roost counts, monitoring and survey work as well bat walks, at various locations around Carmarthenshire.  We do not undertake surveys for land management decisions such as planning applications and neither do we get involved in commenting on planning applications. The bat group is affiliated to the Bat Conservation Trust.

Aims of the group

  • To advance the protection, conservation and welfare of bats, their roosts, habitat, feeding areas and hibernacula in Carmarthenshire.
  • To educate the public and the Group’s members in all matters related to bats.
  • To promote the training of members for licensing as volunteer bat workers.

What we get up to

The bat group is developing a programme of survey work across Carmarthenshire where there is data deficiency, from advanced surveys to acoustic surveys and even day time activities such as looking in old churches for signs of bat use. The group has a Facebook page, where information about upcoming plans will be advertised or you can contact Steve Lucas for further information.

Found a Grounded, Injured or Sick Bat?

Feeding time: Copyright Peter Crome, Bat Conservation Trust

Feeding time: Copyright Peter Crome, Bat Conservation Trust

Bats rarely come to ground unless they exhausted, sick or injured. It is important if you come across a grounded bat that you not only take steps to get the bat to safety and away from danger such as predators, but also to protect yourself. Evidence of exposure to a particular strain of rabies virus has been found in just one species of bat and then only in very few bats. Whilst the risk of rabies is very small indeed, you must take care not to get bitten. It is advisable to wear protective gloves and to handle the bat as little as possible. You must get the bat seen by a vet or an experienced bat carer.

If you need help or guidance then check out the Bat Conservation Trust’s advice section.

 

Bat droppings on window Copyright Anne Youngman, Bat Conservation Trust

Bat droppings on window Copyright Anne Youngman, Bat Conservation Trust

Bats in your house – a problem?

If you have bats in your house and they are causing you a problem then you must contact Natural Resources Wales for formal advice so that things can be sorted out and resolved properly.

Bats of Carmarthenshire

Carmarthenshire is a county with a variety of habitats, an outstanding coast with sand dunes, salt marsh and mud flats, quiet estuaries, watercourses, steep wooded valleys and rugged uplands with caves. Throughout much of the rest of the county there is a patchwork of woodlands and fields, bounded by hedges and banks. All these are valuable habitats for bats. There many old buildings, barns and old and veteran trees within the landscape that have provided valuable roost sites over the years.

Today, many of our natural habitats are in decline, affecting many of our bat species. 

In the UK, 17 species of bats are known to breed, 15 have been recorded in Wales, 14 of which are confirmed in Carmarthenshire. The Carmarthenshire Bat Group has produced an assessment of the records from 1970 to 2023 which can be downloaded below. The distribution of records from each species has been mapped at a 1km square resolution. The Atlas must not be interpreted as definitive or as a substitution for proper data searches with WWBIC, rather it should be seen as a guide as further records are continually being added to the WWBIC’s database and as a stimulus for further survey and research. The maps indicate bat presence only and relate to survey effort – absence of records does not mean absence of bats.

Carmarthenshire Bat Atlas 2023
Carmarthenshire Bat Research Project 2023

Carmarthenshire Bat Project 2022 to 2023
Researching population, abundance and distribution of bat species.

Brown long-eared bat. Copyright Hugh Clarke, Bat Conservation Trust

Brown long-eared bat. Copyright Hugh Clarke, Bat Conservation Trust

Useful Links

Bat Conservation Trust
Tel: 0345 1300 228

Need help with a bat?
Tel: 0345 1300 228

Carmarthenshire Bat Group Facebook Page

Carmarthenshire Biodiversity Partnership

The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales

Natural Resources Wales

 

 

Hosted by West Wales Biodiversity Information Centre