Notes and Observations 15 Part 4

NOTES A N D OBSERVATIONS G R E Y SQUIRRELS (Sciurus cariolinensis).

Every autumn for the last three years grey squirrels have appeared in my garden: in September, 1970, I sa\v and shot three. There are a few about in this neighbourhood for most of the year but they do not as yet seem to have increased to be such pests as they are west of Cambridge.

L. HARRISON M A T T H E W S , Stansfield.

PHEASANT A T T A C K I N G D U C K .

In October, 1 9 7 0 , I heard an agonised quacking Coming from the headland of a sugar beet field and on investigating I found a cock pheasant attacking a mallard which was obviously getting the worst of the encounter. When I came near the pheasant flew away and the duck ran into the sugar beet.

F I D E L I T Y CRANBROOK, Gt. Glemham.

BAT SURVEY. It has been suggested that bats are becoming less common in England but objective evidence based on, e.g., actual numbers of bats seen to be feeding, is difficult to obtain.

At Mariesford, on the night of the Society's excursion, 6th September, 1970, a number of small bats were Aying amongst the trees in the park; at Stansfield, a dozen or so noctules Aying in September; at Great Glemham, noctules and pipistrelles are in their usual haunts when looked for; at Campsea Ashe, serotines feed over the R.D.C. rubbish dump as they have since it was started, etc., etc. In none of these cases can an observer say with any certainty that bats have either increased or decreased since he first saw them in that locality. Feeding bats, moreover, are obviously only seen where there is food. When cockchafers are Aying, noctules and serotines will concentrate over that locality and will be numerous, but if the observer looks there amonth or so earlier or later few will be seen; when a rubbish tip is fĂźll and earthed over bats no longer go there to feed, etc., etc. Where bats roost in a colony in the roof of a house, in a church, in a hollow tree or in a cave or cellar changes in the numbers using the roost can be determined with comparative accuracy.

T h e Mammal Society has recently been asked by the Fauna Preservation Society to investigate the status of bats in this country. T h e result of such a survey will help in the formation of a conservation policy for bats. T h e Organisation of this task has fallen to the secretaries of the Mammal Society's Bat Group who are keen to enlist the help of members of Natural History Societies.

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Suffolk Natural History, Vol. 15, Part 4

The following questions formed the basis of a survey which was recently carried out among Bat Group members and which produced some very interesting results.

1. What roosts are known to you: (a) species; (b) Situation of roost, house, tree, cave, etc.; (c) estimated numbers of bats in roost (state if seasonal); (d) how long have you known of its existence?

2. Have any of these roosts been threatened in any way?

If so, how, and with what results?

3. What do you consider would be feasible methods of protecting such threatened roosts? (e.g., grilling of cave entrances, conservation orders on trees, capture of an offending colony and release elsewhere).

4. Have the numbers of bats in the roosts known to you declined or increased over the period of your Observation?

If so, how many, when, and where? Do you have any idea of the cause of death?

If you are able to answer these questions or have any other information which you feel is relevant to the conservation of bats and their roosts please write to the Earl of Cranbrook, Red House Farm, Great Glemham, Saxmundham.

SPECKLED W O O D (Pararge aegeria) IN SUFFOLK. Mr. R. H. May of Fornham St. Martin, Bury St. Edmunds, reports that on 14th September, 1969, he saw a Speckled Wood butterfly in the King's Forest at West Stow. This is the first time that this species has been reported from Suffolk for very many years. It will be interesting to hear of other reports; the numbers have been increasing in recent years in the neighbouring counties of Essex and Norfolk.

S. BEAUFOY, Ipswich.