The bats of Tenants Hall

Watching bats as they hang out is easier than you might think...

The Dunster Castle bat cam films the activities of a summer colony of Lesser Horseshoe bats roosting in the medieval spiral staircase of Tenants Hall.

You can watch and hear these special guests in close-up during the summer months on a screen in the main area of Tenants Hall, as they dangle upside down out of sight nearby.

You'll find out that bats do more than just sleep during the daylight hours, these little fellows can move about preening themselves and each other with some energy.

And, contrary to popular belief, our residents show that bats can be cute and fluffy.

Filming Dunster's bats

• Video clip of bats clustering from the bat cam
  (mpeg file / 1.03MB / credit: © Vanessa Mason)
• Video clip of a mother and pup from the bat cam
  (mpeg file / 500KB / credit: © Vanessa Mason)

The Lesser Horseshoe bat, though rare, has a stronghold in the Exmoor area.

It is one of Britain's smallest bats, with a body the size of a plum. Adults weigh only as much as 10 paperclips and have a wingspan of 200-250mm.

An infrared camera films the bats without disturbing them as they roost in the dark recesses of the medieval staircase from May to October.

© National Trust / Stephen Hayes

The camera monitors their behaviour without causing any disturbance and beams the exciting results of any adult bats caring for their young down to the screen nearby.

It has been possible to install the bat cam through the generous financial support of the West Somerset Association of National Trust members, the National Trust Quantock Centre, the Exmoor National Park Sustainable Development Fund and other local organisations.

Bat walks

If you want to see bats in the flesh, we organise guided bat walks during summer evenings to watch the bats that live in and around the wooded garden at Dunster Castle.

Somerset is home to 15 of the 17 bat species that live in Britain and on the walks you are likely to see Daubenton’s bats, one of which can eat 3,000 insects in one evening, and Pipistrelle bats, Britain's smallest bat.

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