Philip Parker Associates Ltd

21/05/2023

Koda and myself undertook an emergence count at St Mary's Gayton Thorpe yesterday (20/5/23). 220 soprano pipistrelles and 70 common pipistrelles were seen to emerge. Compared to last year (21/5/22) when 295 soprano and 75 commons were recorded, numbers are a little down, but this is likely to the colder night time temperatures we are currently experiencing which may have delayed the formation of the roosts. In 2021, when it was also cold in May, the main soprano pipistrelle roost did not turn up until the end of the month.

31/12/2022

Today, I undertook the final Kent bat box survey of the 2022 season at Mintlyn Crematorium, King’s Lynn and thought I would share with you the normal end of year update.
During the 52 weekly surveys, 2517 bats were recorded of 7 species (Soprano Pipistrelle, Common Pipistrelle, Noctule, Brown Long-eared, Barbastelle, Daubenton’s and Whiskered). Today, 65 bats were recorded which was the largest count of the winter and the largest count since 84 were recorded on the 12th February 2022. Counts in 2022 have generally been lower when compared to the same weeks in previous years, down I think to the warmer temperatures.

Over the 8 years of recording, the boxes have been surveyed 408 times with a total of 14,388 bats of 8 species being recorded. Numbers generally increase over the winter as the temperatures get colder, but the bats tend to move after prolonged periods of sub-zero temperatures. The boxes are used least during the summer months when the majority of the bats move to their maternity roosts (both Soprano Pipistrelle and Brown Long-eared have large maternity roosts in the crematorium building).

I know I keep saying it, but I really will make the effort to get the results written up properly in 2023

18/11/2022

We were pleased to be able to use the thermal imaging camera to monitor a roost of long eared owls at our Kings D**e Nature Reserve in Cambridgeshire

30/09/2022

Bat surveys all completed for the year. Including all the Bat Nights and bat walks (unpaid), the team have achieved a total of 137 nights of survey between May and the end of September, a sterling effort. We can no go into hibernation for the next 7 months 🤣. Attached a video taken on a trail camera of a brown long eared bat doing its best to look like a Hummingbird hawkmoth.

19/06/2022

We are pleased to welcome Polly Godfrey as a new permanent member of staff (graduate ecologist) after successfully completing her course at Nottingham Trent. Polly spent a successful placement year with us last year and it was a delight to be able to employ her full time.

27/05/2022

It was a pleasure to be appointed to undertake a bat survey at King's College Cambridge today ahead of essential repair works.

20/05/2022

A nice write up on the Bioblitz.

An intensive wildlife survey carried out at our Kings D**e Nature Reserve has discovered a variety of new species.

The independent BioBlitz recorded 930 different wildlife species, an increase on last year’s 843 – ranging from birds and moths to moss and lichen.

The 2018 UK BioBlitz, an independent survey of 50 wildlife sites led by TV presenter and naturalist Chris Packham, dubbed Kings D**e Nature Reserve the UK’s most biodiverse wildlife area after 1,111 different species were recorded. The total reserve list is now at 3,150 species.

It’s fantastic to see that both Kings D**e Nature Reserve and the region as a whole are thriving ecologically. Thank you to Philip Parker Associates Ltd and the team of volunteers.

Opened in 1999 on the site of a former brick quarry, the reserve was established for the benefit of local schools and the surrounding community, and has been regularly extended over the last two decades.

bit.ly/2Y5AQTC

12/05/2022

Provisional Bioblitz results for Kings D**e Nature Reserve are in (it has taken several hours work to get all of the records in on the data base):

Total count for 2022 is c930 species.

This compares to 1138 in 2018, 1250 in 2019 and 843 in 2021. The scores will always vary with the time of the year.

At least 90 new species were recorded for the reserve, 68 general invertebrates, 9 moths, 9 higher plants, 1 moss and 4 micro fungi.

Another great success. Many thanks to all those who took part. It just goes to show how incredibly important our reserve is.

Total reserve list is now c3150 species.

Some nice moth pictures as a starter

14/04/2022

22 noctules emerged from a Schweglar 1FFH box at Mintlyn Crematorium, King's Lynn this evening - Guidetrack Pro 19mm.

08/01/2022

End of year (2021) update on the Mintlyn Crematorium (King’s Lynn, Norfolk) bat box checking.

During 7 years of weekly monitoring, 356 surveys have been undertaken. Surveys are minimal-disturbance using a torch from beneath.

The survey boxes comprise 48 Kent boxes made from oak and stained black plus 3 Schweglar 1FFH.

7 species of bat have been recorded using the boxes over the survey period: common pipistrelle, soprano pipistrelle, brown long eared, noctule, daubenton’s, natterer’s and whiskered.

Over the period, a minimum of 12,196 bats have been recorded at an average of 34 bats per survey. Not all bats will be visible from ground level as some may be obscured by others lower down in the slot.

Split over the seasons, winter (December to February) is the most productive averaging 44 bats per survey, spring (March to May) averaging 38 bats per survey and autumn (September to November) averaging 30 bats per survey. The summer (June to August) is generally the least productive for the boxes averaging 20 bats per survey (but there is a large sized soprano pipistrelle maternity roost and a moderate sized brown long eared roost in the crematorium building itself during the summer). Occupancy in the winter generally increases the colder the weather gets unless the mean weekly temperature drops below 0C, when the majority of the pipistrelles leave the boxes, returning as soon as the temperature rises. The noctules are generally less affected by the temperature changes.

Pipistrelles (which are not generally differentiated during the surveys) are the most common species recorded at an average of 27 bats per survey followed by noctule at 5.2 bats per survey and brown long eared at 1.4 bats per survey. The other species average 0.15 bats per survey or less. Average occupancy over the survey period is 33% of boxes (peak occupancy was 76%)

14/11/2021

Just sorting through some videos from the summer. This is the evening swarming of largely juvenile soprano pipistrelles at Gayton Thorpe Church, about an hour after the first bats emerged for the evening. There seemed to be a lot of trial flights and interactions occuring. An amazing sight.

21/05/2021

A sad day today when the two chimneys at Saxon, Whittlesey were demolished. They were 2 minutes early on the first chimney, hence the sigh of anguish. There was also over a minute between them so I have cut a section out of the video