Discover what bats have been detected at Chantry Place

Have you ever wondered what bats fly around Norwich city centre at night? Well, spooky season is just around the corner and, thanks to a UEA student, we know that some fly right past Chantry Place!

Recently we had an echolocation bat detector and microphone on the roof of Chantry Place for three nights to help UEA third year student, Rufus, with his studies and dissertation about bats.

Rufus, who is currently studying Ecology and Conservation, analysed the data and found three species of bat at Chantry Place – Common Pipistrelle, Noctule and Nathusius’s Pipistrelle.

Rufus said: ‘‘A massive thanks to Chantry Place for allowing me to do this research. It is great to see three different species of bats were detected. While this is quite a low level of diversity, especially compared to the suburban and rural environments which tend to get about seven or eight bat species, it is not particularly low for the city centre.’’

Here are some facts about the types of bats we have and how to know which is which:

• Common Pipistrelle has dark, golden brown fur and is so small it can fit into a matchbox! Despite its size, it can easily eat 3,000 insects a night
• The Noctule bat is the largest in the UK, at around 4-5cm in length and can weigh up to 40g
• Nathusius’s Pipistrelle is a medium-sized bat, with dark brown to chestnut coloured fur. They weigh between 5.5g and 11g

As well as the bats Rufus detected at Chantry Place, head to Chantry Place this Halloween and take part in our free Black Cats and Witches’ Hats Halloween trail from Saturday 21st October until Tuesday 31st October.