The London Bat Group has completed the London Bat Atlas for all to see. An electronic version is available to download from our website here. This is very exciting, as they have been working on this representation of London’s bats since 2010, when they first obtained funding from Vodafone. From there they hired a part-time researcher to look into the available past and present records and collate these into an informed, useful atlas.
The atlas takes a look at the London-specific cityscape as an ecosystem for bats, the threats they face and how this all results in the bat distribution and species variety we have here today. The specific species pages give a fascinating background to that species and its habitat requirements within London, in some cases giving reference to specific sites where they can be found. Distribution maps, produced by GiGL, display where each species has been recorded on a 1km squared scale and the type of record it was.
The atlas provides a rare insight into the world of bats in London and is the culmination of a lot of effort on the part of the London Bat Group over five years, so do take a look. Remember to let GiGL or the London Bat Group know if you witness any bats yourself, so that these records can contribute to future London Bat Atlases!