Bats in the Attic?

I think I made the wonderful discovery last week that we have bats in our attic! I am absolutely thrilled. We know there are bats close by and in neighbours roofs and see them just after dusk around our house but as they are so small and its difficult to see where they emerge from have not been sure if we actually had any ourselves.

Anyway, last week we had a new boiler fitted which involved the removal of some pipework from our airing cupboard and has disturbed a bit of debris from our attic which fell through and included bat poo! For those that don't know it looks like mouse poo but it crumbles rater than smears under pressure.

I am a huge bat fan, especially since studying them extensively as part of my job, and have held several of our native species as part of a bat handler course I took some years ago. They are amazing mammals and always a joy to see.

I have no idea what species we have and am only assuming it is a current roost and not an old abandoned one. Our attic space is tiny and the only thing up there is roof insulation. I have not even looked in it since we moved in 7 months ago but will take steps to borrow a bat detector in the spring to see if I can get any more evidence.

We live in quite an old house which already provides a home for nesting sparrows and bees within the stone work but bats are the icing on the cake for me.

Bats are currently afforded significant protection in this country due to a notable loss of habitat and decrease in numbers in more recent years. 

I would like to confirm their presence as it makes me very happy, and we can advise the local bat group for their records, but also as we would be restricted as to what we could do up there so as not to disturb them. 

We have no plans to develop the attic however future house maintenance could see us needing to go up there and as such we do need to know if they are actually using the space.

It could be a roost for one or many, but either way they are welcome.

I am aware that many people dislike bats and are afraid of them, often due to false assumptions and information, so I have chosen the cutest picture I could find to go with this post however if anyone has any questions about bats please leave me a comment and I would be happy to answer your query. 

Image Credit: PT Interest Community Page