Pipistrelle at 1.6deg C! (1 Viewer)

[pppppvvvv]

Surprised to see a bat out this evening. 17:15hrs, temperature accurately measured at 1.6deg C.
Hampshire, UK.
(I was surprised the reading was above zero to be honest!)

The location regularly has Common Pipistrelle in the summer months, don't recall any other species, so chances are it was Common Pip.

 

[Ivydwg]

Sometimes bats leave thier winter roosts to drink when they become dehydrated. Could have also been disturbed. Bats also move around winter roosts. We know very little about how British bats hibernate, particularly common pip.

 

[pppppvvvv]

There were tree works in the vicinity, but that stopped about a week ago. I think the timing points to it going out voluntarily.
Ones I see in broad daylight more likely to have been disturbed, but you are right, the bats are often doing things that the literature doesn't say.. the bat can't be wrong, so our knowledge must be lacking.

 

[etudiant]

Here in the US, one symptom of white nose disease was that the bats were going out flying in January, exhausting the last of their fat reserves.
As the fungus came from Europe, this is presumably not the case here.

Still, bats flying free at these temperatures is not normal. Just hope the poor thing survives.

 

[KenM]

Just had a (defaulted to Pipistrelle on size) NEast London, flew past the window at 17.13pm. current temp.8c.😮