Woodchester Mansion and it's surrounding parklands have been home to the Greater Horseshoe Bat since the early 20th century.

Breeding females take up residence during the summer months, where they give birth to one pup in June or July. These maternity roosts are chosen with great care, as the surrounding land plays an important role in the upbringing of their young.

Greater Horseshoe bats are dependant on reliable sources of insects. Today Woodchester's valley provides pasture and woodland habitats, which are both rich sources of these insects. In particular, lactating females and young bats feed on the dung beetles and various insects associated with permanent pasture grazed by cattle.

Caves would normally be their usual summer roosting sites, however these bats have had to survive the rise and fall of certain industries, weather conditions and developments within the park. Since the cessation of the local mining industry, they have taken up residence in churches, barns and old buildings, such as Woodchester Mansion.

In the late 1950s Dr Roger Ramsome started studying the Greater Horseshoe bats at Woodchester, and counted around 350-400 bats in the maternity roost. In the early 1960s, the combination of a harsh winter and removal of grazing cattle saw a devastating drop in bat numbers. This left the roost with 200 bats surviving.

A number of cattle were re-introduced in the 1970s; however, a further two severe winters resulted in the death of a large number of young mothers. Numbers dropped to critically low levels, a mere 85 individuals in 1986.

The numbers of bats are now beginning to recover, with numbers gradually increasing each year. During 1994, heaters were installed in the attic and the National Trust acquired the park. Since then a programme of sensitive management within the mansion and park has begun, and the bat numbers have increased to approximately 150 in 2003.

Interesting facts about bats
There are 16 species of bat in Britain, and they are the only flying mammals in the world.

Woodchester Park is designated a SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) due mainly to the presence of the Greater Horseshoe bat. The Greater Horseshoe bat is one of the rarest bats in Britain. Lesser Horseshoe bats are another rare species and are present in even greater numbers.

Woodchester Mansion is home to the horseshoe bat's summer maternity roost, and it is the only breeding colony of the Greater Horseshoe bats east of the Severn.

Bats find their way around in the dark through echo-location. The Greater and Lesser Horseshoe bat send sounds out of their strangely shaped noses. An echo is then received back to the bat, telling it where insects or obstacles are.

The Greater Horseshoe bat is the largest and the longest living bat in Britain. It has a body length of 51 -71 mm, and wingspan of 350 - 400mm, and can live for up to 30 years.

At roosts the Greater Horseshoe bat wrap their wings around their body, just as we would with a blanket or a cloak.

A baby bat is called a pup, and they are usually born in June or July. After 9 days the pups can open their eyes, and after 5 weeks they can fly and catch insects.

The bats at Woodchester have been studied in great detail by Dr Roger Ransome since the late 1950s.

Glossary

Habitats: A type of home to different animals and plants.

Lactating females: Females which are producing milk for their young.

Permanent pasture: Areas of grassland, which is grazed by cattle on a permanent basis without any changes to other uses.

Maternity roost: Females and males gather to breed and bring up their young bats during the months of May to July. Some young bats stay in the roost until October.

Sensitive management: Conifer removal and re-introduction of grazing cattle.