The common and soprano pipistrelle are our two most common bats, while status of a third ‘pip’ Nathusius pipistrelle is not clear. The common and soprano pipistrelles are very common and well established in RCT. A review of a sample of bat survey reports that was undertaken suggested that in RCT, the soprano pip is more frequently recorded than its near identical relation. These two ‘pips’ are able to adapt to a multitude of house and building types but will also use trees and they are the species most frequently associated with urban areas. They are also the least sensitive to street and garden lighting (or more accurately, the least disturbed by artificial light). Both common ‘pips’ have been found hibernating in disused railway tunnels.

Brown long-eared bat is the next most common species recorded in the bat survey sample review. Typically, their roosts occur in barns or buildings with large roof spaces and activity surveys also often pick them up feeding in wooded gardens or farmyards. Brown long-eared bats have been found hibernating in the lofts of buildings and railways tunnels in RCT.

Daubenton’s bat is a river and lake species. They rarely appear in the typical building surveys required of planning applications but are identified in activity surveys on adjacent watercourses. The evidence we have suggests they are common along river valleys in RCT. The lakes at Dare Valley Country Park are a good place to watch hunting Daubenton’s bats with their distinctive, low level, figure of eight sweeps across the lake surface. Natterer’s are also often recorded in planning application surveys for building applications. They too appear to be widely distributed in the County Borough. Two species, which are exceedingly difficult to differentiate are whiskered and Brandt’s and as a result they often appear in bat reports as ‘either or’. Both species have been recorded and, based on convention, the whiskered is likely to be the more common.

In flight the most spectacular bat species in RCT is the noctule. A swift sized, early evening fighter ace, which twists and dives, soars and plunges in dynamic aerial displays. These magnificent bats are tree roosters which, soon after sunset, suddenly appear (as if by magic) over favourite hunting areas: their calls booming out from bat detectors. Species rich grasslands that on May evenings are full of whirling cockchafers, and in July dusks have dancing ghost moths, are great places to watch noctule feeding displays. Noctules appear well distributed and common in RCT and often figure in activity surveys undertaken for planning applications. From just a few records in the south of the County Borough, the noctule’s slightly smaller relative the serotine, has been increasingly recorded over recent years, and appears to be spreading further north.

Of the ‘rarer’ species, the tree roosting barbastelle was recorded in the early 2000s as part of planning application work in the Llanharan area. As tree roosting bats which depend upon large foraging areas of well-connected woods, hedgerows and wetlands, the landscapes of RCT may suit barbastelle. However, these are difficult bats to survey, and we are currently dependent on their chance find through the work of the stalwarts of the Valley’s bat group or bat surveys required for planning applications. Another woodland bat, Bechstein’s, has not been recorded in RCT, but again wooded parts of the Cynon and Taff/Ely parts of RCT look superficially suitable.

The Lesser Horseshoe was only discovered in RCT 16 years ago. However, since then the species has been found across the southern half of RCT (even flying through the street-lit roads of Pontypridd) and also in the Cynon Valley (in the last ten years), and several important maternity roosts are now known. These include a particularly large purpose-built lesser horseshoe roost which in a good year can support over 400 hundred females. We also know of several hibernation sites, including the use of maternity roosts, small stone outbuildings, mine voids and disused railway tunnels. None of RCT’s lesser horseshoe sites has statutory protection via SAC or SSSI designation. Recently work for planning application has recorded Greater Horseshoe bats using open hillside localities, woodland/marshy grassland landscapes and hibernating/roosting in disused railway tunnels. It looks likely that there is at least one maternity roost for Greater’s in RCT that is waiting to be found in the Llanharan area. We don’t know whether both horseshoe bats were always present (but went undetected) in RCT or if they have become more common and widespread in recent times. However, RCT is an area that, until recently, was not considered to support either horseshoe bat species. This is another example of where the biodiversity of RCT can reveal wonderful surprises and exciting new discoveries.