Norfolk bat group gets boost with new tracking tech

A new receiver, perched on top of the Ormesby Water Treatment Works, is helping researchers map the movement of Nathusius' pipistrelle bats, with hopes of learning more about the creatures’ journeys across Europe.

The Norfolk and Norwich Bat Group, dedicated to studying bats around the Trinity Broads for more than seven years, secured funding through Essex & Suffolk Water’s Branch Out programme.

The addition of the receiver has added valuable data to better understand and ultimately protect these small nocturnal travellers.

The Trinity Broads in Norfolk. (Image: Simon Crutchley)READ MORE: Rare bat rescued from Norfolk industrial estate is FIRST EVER recorded in county

In the project, tiny radio tags, which licensed volunteers attach between each bat’s shoulder blades, emit signals picked up by receivers like the one at Ormesby.

With this data, researchers can track each bat’s path as it moves across the region.

Just recently, the team tagged several Nathusius’ pipistrelles at Winterton Dunes as they arrived from mainland Europe.

One of these bats took quite a local tour, spending several days detected by the Ormesby receiver, flying between Ormesby and Caister, before heading south to Minsmere and Felixstowe.

Bats, which are protected under UK Law, are a good indicator of a healthy environment and are efficient predators of insects – including midges and mosquitoes.

READ MORE: Gardeners urged to protect bats as numbers drop

Helen Jacobs, conservation team leader at Essex & Suffolk Water, said: “It was a brilliant opportunity for Essex & Suffolk Water to fund and be part of important conservation work to better understand the migration of these wonderful animals.

"They’re an important piece of the ecosystem at the Trinity Broads, which supply water to the Great Yarmouth area, and where we work as part of the Trinity Broads Partnership conserving the Broads.”

The Norfolk and Norwich Bat Group’s efforts, boosted by Essex & Suffolk Water’s support, are part of a wider European network aiming to secure the future of the Nathusius' pipistrelle and deepen our understanding of their vital role in our ecosystem.