Most people only see bats flying overhead, dashing through the night after a variety of flying insects.

Even with wings outstretched they are small. When they come into care with wings neatly folded against their bodies they are tiny.

Yet caring for bats is time consuming. The young ones are so small that they need regular feeds, every two hours for the first few days, spaced out more as they get older. While they are in the hospital the bats are kept in small plastic tanks. Then they move to our bat shed with its indoor flight.

At Hessilhead we are lucky to have a bat tunnel, thanks to the fundraising and practical help of the Clyde Bat Group. 

The tunnel is approx. 40’ long, 12’ wide, and made of soft green netting. Small insects can get through the mesh, attracted by the flowering plants inside, and these provide food for the young bats before release.

There is a small shed in the tunnel, with several bat boxes, and an exit hatch that can be open or closed.

One of the amazing things about bats is that even hand reared youngsters will go straight to the entrance at the bottom of the box, and crawl inside as if they have always lived there. We have 26 pipistrelle bats in the tunnel now, including some from the Tay Bat group.

During the day the bats hang quietly in the boxes. At night they get plenty of exercise, and soon they will be flying free.