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Devon Bat Group facts for kids

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The Devon Bat Group (DBG) started in 1984. Its main goal is to help protect bats and their homes, called habitats. They also care for injured bats and teach people about these amazing flying mammals.

Pipistrellus pipistrellus lateral
A common pipistrelle bat.

How the Bat Group Started

The Devon Bat Group began in 1984 in the English county of Devon. It was formed by people who were worried because British bats were becoming fewer. Devon is a very important place for bats. Most of the different kinds of bats found in the UK live there. The DBG works hard to keep these bats safe and learn more about them.

The Devon Bat Group is part of a bigger network of bat groups across the UK. These groups are all members of The Bat Conservation Trust. This trust started in 1991 to bring all the bat groups together.

What Group Members Do

People who join the Devon Bat Group include those who want to learn more about bats. It also includes people who want to help with group activities. Some members are even professional ecologists, who study nature.

Fun Bat Activities

The group does many exciting things. They visit places where bats live, called roosts. They also set up and check special bat boxes where bats can live. Members also do bat surveys to count bats and see where they are.

The DBG also gives talks to schools and groups to teach them about bats. They organize bat walks, where people can try to spot bats flying at night. A very important job is caring for sick or injured bats. Members with special licences also visit bat roosts to help Natural England protect them.

Working with Others

The Devon Bat Group works with many other groups in Devon. They have teamed up with the South West Lakes Trust to watch bat numbers at places like Roadford Lake. They are also part of the Devon Greater Horseshoe Bat Project. This project works with groups like Devon Wildlife Trust and Devon County Council.

In 2014 and 2015, the group helped run a project called The Big Exeter Bat Survey. This was a citizen science project. It meant everyday people helped find out which bats live in Exeter and where. The group's information was also used to help bats when the Hemerdon Mine was reopened.

Bat Species in Devon

Devon is home to 16 out of the 18 types of bats that live in the UK. The only two UK species not found there are the Greater Mouse-Eared bat and the Alcathoe bat.

Barbastelle

Serotine

Myotis Bats

Noctules

Pipistrelles

Long-Eared Bats

Horseshoe Bats

See also

  • List of bat roosts
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