Operation Bat

baldowrie · Wed May 21, 2008 5:39 pm

Whilst working out in my garden this morning, and keeping one eye on the 'very careful roofers', health and safety was not in their job description, working away and chuckling slates here there and every when I heard one shout 'ANOTHER ROOSTING SITE...BATS!'

So I stood up and watched him to see if he would obey the law and down tools. He did not and carried on working and even tried to swish the bats away.

So I made a few enquiries to get my facts straight as regards to the law then followed the proceeder laid out to me. Yep I rang the police and asked to speak the Wild Life Crime Officer and used the the key words OPERATION BAT! At this the officer who answered the phone said it back to me, wrongly (probably deliberately to ensure what I was saying). SO I said it again OPERATION BAT! This immediately provoked a response, which was not quick enough for Bat protection who chased things their side.

The up shot is that a police vehicle turned up this afternoon, along with a phone call from the Wild Life Crime Officer checking they had turned up and I gave a statement and made it very clear the workman were aware of the bats as they had shouted they were there and gestured/mimicked they were there. At this point I had to go out BUT from the debris work has ceased, and that would only happen if evidence was found for the officers to do their duty.

I have just had to the call the police again as the site owner has just turned up on my door step harassing me and making threats....police came out very promptly and have gone to 'ave word' about harassing a probably witness.

Bat protection called me shortly after, I think they must be physic, and I informed them about the site owner tactics. This will all go against him if bats are found to have residence, and if they are still there now!

If you have nothing to hide than trying to harass a witness is the last thing on your mind.

Milims · Post: # 104539Post **Milims** » Wed May 21, 2008 7:35 pm

Fantastic!!! Good for you sorting it out Baldowrie! I love the fact that you can actually ring the police and say "operation bat" sounds superheroish! lol! We've had bats too and the first thing we did was to contact the local bat group to check it out. It transpires that we had/have a batchelor roost - seriously! It was basically a stopping off point for when they boys were out on the pull and used only in the summer time. It was wonderful to lie on the grass on a summer evening and watch them - much better than telly!

lsm1066 · Post: # 104552Post **lsm1066** » Wed May 21, 2008 8:51 pm

This is just brilliant. Well done!

We have a possible bat issue. When we first moved here we saw bats almost every evening. We still see them occasionally. The problem is, one of our outbuildings is just a corrugated structure. We know for a fact there are birds nesting in the walls and we think the bats might be in there too. Trouble is, we need the building, and the corrugated cladding needs to be replaced. We're not intending to do it for a year or so, so I guess in the meantime, we're on the phone to bat protection to find out what to do next.

If they can stay without our work disturbing them unduly, that's fine by me.

baldowrie · Wed May 21, 2008 8:54 pm

what they told me is an officer can come and rehome them.

One of the things the site owner said to me is there is not a colony just a roost....so is that a bat B&B then?

ocailleagh · Wed May 21, 2008 9:06 pm

I love bats! Well done baldowrie!

Milims · Post: # 104560Post **Milims** » Wed May 21, 2008 9:16 pm

baldowrie wrote:what they told me is an officer can come and rehome them.

One of the things the site owner said to me is there is not a colony just a roost....so is that a bat B&B then?

What a numpty the bloke must be! Or does he consider himself and "expert" (x - the unknown factor - spurt - a drip under pressure

) Even if it is just a roost they still have to be taken care of properly! You can't just move them - you have to wait until they are no longer roosting there - at least that's what our "bat man" told us!

baldowrie · Wed May 21, 2008 9:18 pm

he is currently out there watching the bats come out...as I have

lsm1066 · Post: # 104604Post **lsm1066** » Thu May 22, 2008 7:29 am

Milims wrote:What a numpty the bloke must be! Or does he consider himself and "expert" (x - the unknown factor - spurt - a drip under pressure )

You don't know Ian Ferguson do you? ;)

So, I'll just have a chat to my local bat man then. Sooner we get it checked out, sooner we know what we can and can't do.

baldowrie · Thu May 22, 2008 7:39 am

Here's some information I found, it's Scotlands but here will very little difference in England I expect

http://www.snh.org.uk/publications/on-l ... le/law.asp

Millymollymandy · Thu May 22, 2008 11:55 am

You were unclear in your posting and I thought this was your own house. So I wondered why you called the Police and did not tell your own roofers to down tools and stop.

So it appears that this is not your house, so good for you!

baldowrie · Thu May 22, 2008 12:04 pm

sorry should have said, no a derelict building that the owner is trying to convert. The building has not been touched in decades...probably 60 years or more.

If they were in my roof space, but not come into the house, I would be chuffed to bits!

However if I did have workmen on my roof and they found bats and continued to work they would be committing a crime.

Bat inspector was here last night. I don't know the out come but no work has started up today and I would have thought if no evidence was found then there would have been a show if not proper work.

These people are roofers...they will KNOW the procedures!

Bat conservation rang this morning and are pleased the bats are still here, regardless of their roosting place, as they will now be breeding and they only have one youngster a year so if the roost was destroyed thats the colony gone!

ina · Post: # 104686Post **ina** » Thu May 22, 2008 1:26 pm

baldowrie wrote: These people are roofers...they will KNOW the procedures!

Yeah, but they were probably hoping you wouldn't... Must be highly annoying for them.

Well done! I'd love to have bats near by - I know they are around here somewhere, but I rarely see them, and have no idea where they roost.

baldowrie · Thu May 22, 2008 1:34 pm

I had 5 flying round me yesterday, one swooped down by my feet....brilliant.

Come over over one evening and you can see them

baldowrie · Thu May 22, 2008 9:26 pm

now have positive sightings of the bats partaking of the B&B facilities over the road in not one place but 2 places!

ina · Post: # 104819Post **ina** » Fri May 23, 2008 7:35 am

baldowrie wrote:now have positive sightings of the bats partaking of the B&B facilities over the road in not one place but 2 places!

They must be spreading the word that they have a protector in you!