A team of ecologists abseiled down the side of Blenheim Palace's historic Grand Bridge to monitor bat colonies roosting inside. He used high-specification thermal imaging cameras and bat echolocation detectors to inspect features which could support bats and breeding birds. The Blenheim Estate, which was the birth place of Sir Winston Churchill, is known to support a wide variety of bat species including the rare barbastelle, the range-restricted lesser horseshoe bat and maternity sites for Daubenton's bat. All UK bat species, along with their breeding sites and resting places, are fully protected by law. 'We will also look at providing additional roosting opportunities within the bridge and the Estate in a bid to further secure and hopefully increase wild populations.'

Source: Daily Mail December 15, 2019 11:15 UTC