The Island is blessed with a rich bat fauna owing to our favourable climate, position, and a relatively intact, well-connected landscape.

For many years the Isle of Wight Bat Hospital has been rescuing a wide range of bats that get into difficulties. Many householders have also been monitoring bats living in their roof spaces.

However, one group of bats, largely restricted to woodlands is more difficult to study. In 2005, just six breeding populations of the very rare Bechstein’s bat and nine of the Barbastelle were known in the UK. We knew they existed on the Island but little was known about them.

Between 2003 and 2007, Ian Davidson Watts, a highly experienced, licensed bat worker surveyed 42 woods across the Island capturing (then releasing) 219 bats of twelve different species.

21 maternity roosts of Bechstein’s bats and six maternity roosts of Barbastelle bats were located in trees and the Bechstein’s bat was found in 67% of the woods surveyed!

The Island is internationally significant for rare woodland bats with the highest number of breeding colonies of Bechstein’s bat in the UK. Sensitive management of our woodlands and protection of old trees is important to keep our special woodland bats.

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