Gargoyle Guardians: A Bat Count at Lacock Abbey with the Wiltshire Bat Group

S5E47 On the edge of the Cotswolds lies Lacock Abbey, home to Professor Quirrel's classroom and the Mirror of Erised. But whilst millions of people will recognise the Cloisters of the Abbey used in the filming of the Harry Potter franchise, a rather special spectacle can be found here once the sun goes down. A soprano pipistrelle bat roost hidden in the roof of Sharrington's tower is regurgitated each evening from the mouths of the gargoyles that surround the tower. We join Wendy Priest as she undertakes a count for the National Bat Monitoring Programme on a calm June evening. 

• Follow Wendy on twitter and Instagram
• Discover more about Lacock Abbey and follow them on twitter, facebook and Instagram
• Take a look at the Wiltshire Bat Group's website, twitter, Instagram and Facebook page.
• Find out how to take part in the National Bat Monitoring Programme yourself
• Discover your local bat group

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Transcript

Steve Roe: 0:38

Welcome back to BatChat, the award winning podcast from the Bat Conservation Trust for anyone with a fascination or interest in these amazing nocturnal creatures. I'm Steve Roe, and this is BatChat series five. Yes, hello, we are back. Continuing with a brand new series and episodes will be released every other Wednesday from now until spring next year. If you're new to BatChat Welcome along. I'm Steve Rowe. I'm an ecologist and in my spare time as trustee for the Bat Conservation Trust. Last week, we had a species specific episode following our listener survey at the end of the last series as several of you asked for that. Another request from that survey has been to find out more about what local bank groups are up to. And so this week we're after Wiltshire Lacock Abbey lies a few miles south of Chippenham and has a spectacular soprano pipistrelle maternity roost which is now counted by Wendy Priest and volunteers from Wiltshire bat group. Back in June, Wendy, who now works from the National Trust, inviting me to help her undertake one of her accounts for the National Bank monitoring programme. Lacock Village is largely owned by the National Trust. And we join Wendy as we sit on the lawn of the Abbey, waiting for it to get dark with this Parkland behind being grazed by sheep on a calm summer's evening. As you can probably hear in the background, we're surrounded by sheep and swift and it's a very still warm evening in the middle of June. And fans of Harry Potter will know where I am quite well. I'm at Lake Okeechobee, which has been used as a film location in several of those films. And I'm here with Wendy priest from Wiltshire back group. When did you want to tell us exactly where we are and what we're doing here tonight?

Wendy Priest: 2:28

Hi, Steve. Yes, we are here to count the soprano, pipistrelles. It's a maternity roost and I have a group of volunteers and we count the bats. And it gets recorded on the national bat monitoring programme. It's very important roost that has been the maximum amount has been 1078 bats. So it is of high importance. And this evening, we're here to count it

Steve Roe: 2:57

will come more on to why this is quite a notable wrist in a minute. We've actually heard from you before you dropped the podcast voicemail last year to tell us how much you loved Bat Chat. And you actually did you get into bats because of the research you were told about in your rental property at Mottisfont.

Wendy Priest: 3:16

Yes, so we rented a property from the National Trust. And it had a barber style maternity roost in the roof, which is quite unusual because they are a forest bat. But it was a no roost. And that was what sparked my initial interest. I mean, we're going back five years now. So I speedily went out to purchase my first bat detector, which was about baton which basically you don't need to tune it it records and then transfers onto a laptop. And then I superseded that with my echo metre touch and recorded many 1000s of bats. I think I had about 4000 recordings from that property. And then last July, we moved here to Wiltshire and absolutely thrilled to discover I've got a soprano, maternity pipistrelle roost in the garden, and then it's actually in the neighbor's roof. But they fly over and I can see them from my garden. And I was absolutely amazed by that. And there's we've got 143 there at the moment, which will increase when all the babies start flying in a few weeks time. Nice.

Steve Roe: 4:36

I remember you were very excited to say you were making a cup of tea for you. And when you found

Wendy Priest: 4:40

Yes, they were swarming. They were swarming outside of my cottage. And there was quite a few at the time. I think I was about 30 at the time. And then I've been regularly monitoring that reason as well. And thrilled when they all came back on April the first this year, they returned. So really happy. And

Steve Roe: 5:01

how have you ended up taking over the MPNP counter Laycock.

Wendy Priest: 5:05

Okay. So Tony Brazier monitored this race for 20 years. And he asked if somebody would like to take it over because I think he wants to go and travel and do other things. So I said yes, please. And we met up last December, and he handed over the roost explained where the bats come out and that there has been many other species here. And it's all very exciting.

Steve Roe: 5:34

The rooster has been featured on the Guardian website. I think they described it as gargoyles that spit out for wings and fluff basically, wasn't it? Tell us about where the roosters and how these bats emerge them.

Wendy Priest: 5:50

Right so the roof is at the top of Sherrington tower. And there is at the top there is gargoyles all the way around the edge. And the bats actually emerge from the goggles mouths. There's about five entrances that they use. And it's quite a sight watching them emerge. We counted 104 138 bats last Saturday, and this race does get over to 1000. And watching them coming out is just absolutely incredible.

Steve Roe: 6:25

And I say P count has been over. So I've I've only been here during the day, many years ago. I've not I've never been able to count the bats out. So I'm really looking forward to seeing the spectacle. We've got the IR camera with us tonight to try and get a film of it. How many of the speeches been recorded in the wider area? Do we know? Wiltshire has

Wendy Priest: 6:46

17 of the species of British bats here. Laycock has quite a few species within the grounds. We're very lucky that the River Avon runs along the boundary. And that's very important. For bats. All bats need water. We do get the door Benton's bats from the river coming across. And we watch them actually when you're counting the bats. They are almost inquisitive. And a couple of weeks ago, they were flying around Richard he was sitting. The door Benton's was flying round and round and round watching him. It was fascinating. Yeah, so there's lesser horseshoes actually hibernate here in the building. We had our very first lifeless bat that I recorded a few weeks ago here, which has never been recorded in 20 years. That's really exciting. Quite a rare bat. And obviously, becoming more popular. So that was really exciting news, Wiltshire back group. We're very excited about that.

Steve Roe: 7:50

Yeah, I mean, the grounds are lovely. Like you were saying, We've got, we're sat on quite a manicured lawn in front of Shannon's tower and the rest of the RV. To the right lights on the boundary can just about see the path of the Avon loads of really large line trees and willows. And then behind us loads of sheep grazing fescue pasture parkland, isn't it with a load of oaks in the distance, and then the wider Welsh countryside into the distance? So it's really nice setting. What national just think about that. So do they tell the public about them? During the day visitors go out there? Do you know whether the roof chatter can be heard up there when the public go up there?

Wendy Priest: 8:23

I don't believe that they can actually access up to the top, there is the table from William Sherrington. That I know that you can go and see. But the chatter they don't start to chatter till just before they emerge, which you will hear later. Normally, just after half past nine, they get really, really chatty. The National Trust, obviously very interested in all the lovely bats that they have. So and obviously they are more than happy for us to come and count and do our surveys.

Steve Roe: 8:55

And what is it that the Wilczek group put at the moment what sort of other projects PoFo and BMP counts?

Wendy Priest: 9:01

Well, we, the the Bucha back group are very active. There is lots and lots of counts going on in different areas. There's lots of bat walks, Wiltshire back group are on Facebook, Twitter. They have a website, which is wheelchair mammals. It's always best if you're interested. They're very keen on new volunteers. So there's always lots and lots to take part in lots of hibernation roosts. All sorts of counts are always going on. They're very active. So this

Steve Roe: 10:18

one's counted for the MP MP, and you say you count the one at home for the MBRP. What would you say to listeners of BatChat? Who are thinking, I'd quite like to do a count the MP, what would you be your top tips for them?

Wendy Priest: 10:31

Go onto the website. And there is loads of advice on how you can become a volunteer and how to how to take part. Best things to find your local back group, send them an email and say that you would like to join the back group. It's they're very, very nominal fees, and then you they will sign you up to certain people and then you can sort of go and take part.

Steve Roe: 10:55

So I remember when you left the voicemail. I was really impressed at how enthusiastic you are. What is it about both bats and the nocturnal work that you love so much?

Wendy Priest: 11:04

Because I work in evacs and we occasionally have had bats brought in and nobody really knows what to do. The vets do have knowledge Shouldn't they do their best, but as far as somebody to care for the bats, there isn't any real, many people that are also busy. So I have actually completed a backcare course. And I've been to lots of lots of online courses as well in backcare. And I did have my first little bat a couple of weeks ago, sadly, didn't make it. But I was able, you know, poor little thing was in a box for three days, the owner of the property didn't know what to do with it. So I sort of got it when it was sort of not at its best, but sadly, very broken wing. And, yes, I was going to take it to the vets. But it did pass away in the night was gonna be one of my colleagues. I've got new becoming

Steve Roe: 12:09

right where we're watching next. Always think that worker some deck chairs for the sort of

Wendy Priest: 12:15

thing, no, one of my volunteers brings a deck chair. And he did absolutely makes me laugh. He's brilliant. Richard, he was so he absolutely is a massive fan of yours. And he couldn't come tonight. It really makes me laugh, come to this massive lecture. And he's one of my most loyal actually.

Steve Roe: 12:35

We haven't said how tall this thing is. It's quite a lot. This is when when he's now just pulled out like the pamphlet for Laycock. Wasn't that what does that say? It's very intense isn't a contents page. And?

Wendy Priest: 12:53

No, you can have this. Yeah, you have this. That's so the towering the tower room is in here. So that's got that that's William Sherrington. Special table. I don't think it says how tall it is.

Steve Roe: 13:09

Enough to an hour's worth accounting, but it does. So why is it called chunking style? What's the history behind that?

Wendy Priest: 13:17

It's named after William Sherrington, who purchased the Abbey in 1540. And he paid the enormous fee of 783 pounds. So it was a nunnery before that for 300 years. And then Henry the Eighth came on the throne, and he sort of disbanded all the monasteries. And William Sherrington was actually somebody that went round, purchasing the monasteries and the nunneries for themselves. But that was quite a bargain.

Steve Roe: 13:55

So you've got a new volunteer along tonight Tom's just arrived so you've just given him a crash course in how to combat. Wiltshire has got pretty much all of the UK species as you were saying earlier. Yeah. Have you got a favourite species?

Wendy Priest: 14:09

Gosh, I'd like I do like the long is because they look as though they're smiling. But also I think the horseshoes do. The greater horseshoes have got lips. I there's something adorable about all of them. I am a bit crazy about all of them. I obviously love the soprano peps because I have them in the garden and I have them here. And the door Benton's they come up and they fly around and they're so curious. nachos are just wonderful. And they all are. They're all really special. I don't think actually I can pick a favourite.

Steve Roe: 14:46

Another volunteer? Yeah, the first day. Right? Shall we get set up then and wait for it to get dark? So it's just gone half nine. Twilight's just starting to arrive and when do you think she's had the first betta already saw the kit set up we've got Tom and Sue around the far corner the tower counts that that side and then Wendy myself around the slightly busier side with infrared camera running. So we should wait and see.

Wendy Priest: 15:17

Exciting

Steve Roe: 15:20

and there's a nacelle going over somewhere so they've just started to emerge now with a lovely background check of a natrual in the background

Wendy Priest: 15:45

they'll sit here and it's lovely. You know anything? This is just there's something so serene. I mean, you know even in March we were all sitting here in jumpers and we had our flask of Horlicks or maybe all guys laugh they're like the people still drink lakes that was right over I had. So 1036 was my last one last night. Yeah.

Steve Roe: 16:25

Cool. Yeah.

Wendy Priest: 16:27

That's still coming. It's hard doesn't mean to say compiler. Think nothing we needed. I had a lot more bats returning actually of my roost last night. Yeah. I think they've given birth. Yeah. Yeah.

Steve Roe: 16:56

On to 377?

Wendy Priest: 17:12

Well, I would say that given birth. Yeah, that's why. Because we had 313. Left. That's the baby side. Sue and, Tom, if you've got the same amount What have you got? 198? You could have maths. five, nine, isn't it?

Steve Roe: 17:36

One nine a one. This is what we did last week. So what are we up to three, seven? Yeah. 435435. Yeah.

Wendy Priest: 17:45

So we're three short, not bad.

Steve Roe: 17:49

Very good. And when it is noted that that's going back a bit earlier. The sign to return to switch probably suggest that given birth. Great stuff. So whenever you have a health new counting this risk, then through the summer, you are going to do a couple more you're going to carry on monitoring this for the rest of the summer. Oh, absolutely.

Wendy Priest: 18:07

Absolutely. Yes. We're hoping obviously to count when all the babies are flying. And I intend to sort of come fortnightly at the moment. And then we're hoping to obviously double the amount of bats that we're getting at the moment when all the babies are born. And then I'm interested to see how long they are here until they go to their hibernation route. So I will be coming throughout September, early October.

Steve Roe: 18:34

Great stuff. Well, thank you very much for inviting me along. It's been brilliant. This has

Wendy Priest: 18:37

it's been great fun, hasn't it? Yeah, absolutely. Yeah.

Steve Roe: 18:45

A massive thanks to Wendy priest for having me along for the evening. We've put a link in the show notes to Wendy social media, more information about Laycock, as well as the Wiltshire Bank Group's websites. I hope you've enjoyed the second instalment of series five, please tell the world about Bat Chat on your social media channels. And we'll be back in two weeks time where to meet our next guest. I had to get on a boat. See then I'm going to leave you with five minutes of soprano pipistrelle rousse chatter as they gather at the entrance to their roost on a June evening it's worth putting on a pair of headphones for this and sitting somewhere quiet closing your eyes and take yourself back to the summer.