Unusual behaviour: Waipawa bats are unique

A bat in the hand... one of the Waipawa bats gets a gentle examination.

A single, small bat flies out against the darkening sky, and we all count out loud "one". I'm standing outside a shed on the outskirts of Waipawa with landowners Nick and Sadie, who have become bat enthusiasts over the course of the summer.

The tiny bats continue to emerge from the depths of the shed for about 15 minutes, off on their nightly foraging runs, looking for insects to eat and water to drink. The last one flies out; it is nearly dark now.

"Thirty. Wow, cool, that's the most we have ever counted at this site."

On New Year's Eve Nick and Sadie were down at the bottom of their property showing off the cows to young nieces. It was just on dusk. Something flitted by their heads, then again. The couple looked at each other both thinking, could those be bats be coming out of our shed?

The bats are roosting in a very unusual spot - the corrugated iron roof of a Waipawa shed.

They would never have imagined that they had purchased a property with the hottest housing estate for long-tailed bats in Waipawa. However, they had read an article in December about the possibility of bats roosting somewhere in Waipawa, and so they gave me a call.

My response was immediate – "can I come and see them tonight?"

Since that night on January 3, we have been here nearly every night, amazed that they continue to roost in this one spot. It is very unusual behaviour, as long-tailed bats tend to shift to a new roost nearly every night, and the colony (family group, think hapū) is often spread over several roosts on any given night. Not here in Waipawa.

It seems likely this colony is using the same roost over and over again simply because they don't have any other suitable communal roosts left within their rohe. Development in the district over the past few years has meant many big trees such as macrocarpa have been removed. It is cavities in these old trees that are usually used for roosts.

Instead, these Waipawa bats are tucked into some rafters under a corrugated iron roof, day after day.

It is going to be very interesting to see what they do over autumn and winter. Usually, a colony will split up and roost in much smaller numbers, often only two or three in a roost. Their roosting range is probably within a few kilometres of Waipawa so it could be that they will be in some of the old trees that are left around the place, or other buildings.

If you are planning to remove any old trees please get in touch with me on 021 629584, or email info@theconservationcompany.co.nz and I will come and make sure there are no bats living in them. We will provide this service for free.

It is also a great idea to put up some artificial roosts around the place, which has been done with some success in Hamilton and Melbourne. Businesses and individuals will be able to be involved in that. Watch this space for more information.