2025 has been an exceptional year for records of one of the UK’s rarest mammals at East Devon District Council’s nature reserve, Seaton Wetlands.
The grey long-eared bat has an estimated UK population of only 1000 individuals, but licenced surveys at Seaton Wetlands this year have recorded 13 individuals.
In May, Nature Reserves Ranger Ben Morgan-Brown from the Countryside team was lucky enough to be present when Professor Fiona Mathews (former Chair of the UK Mammal Society) caught a single female grey long eared during a trapping session focusing on migratory Nathusius’ pipistrelle bats.
Buoyed by this exciting encounter Ben arranged for the Devon Bat Conservation and Research Group (of which he is an active member) to conduct further licensed trapping sessions. Over four nights 118 bats were trapped, with 9 species recorded, and an additional 12 grey long eared bats found.
These bats were ringed so that they can be monitored in the future, adding to our understanding of how grey long-eared bats are using Seaton Wetlands and the wider landscape.
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