Bat Colony

Plas Maenan is also host to one of the largest colonies of lesser horseshoe bats in the British Isles.

Rhinolophus hipposideros is an internationally endangered species and the old tunnel complex under the hotel (reputed to have been used to store treasures from the National Gallery during the war) is a nursery roost in summer and hibernaculum in winter.

See The Bats

The bats, often numbering over 500, emerge at dusk from a ruined folly on the lower terrace.

Working with the Countryside Council for Wales, we plan to install cctv cameras and convert part of the orangery into a bat information and observation centre.

Lesser Horseshoe Bat

Horseshoe bats have a horseshoe-shaped fleshy structure called a nose-leaf surrounding the nose. The nose-leaf amplifies the ultrasonic calls that the bat emits when searching for food.

The Lesser Horseshoe Bat is one of the world's smallest bats, weighing only 5 to 9 grams, with a wingspan of 192-254 mm and a body length of 35-45 mm. It has strong feet that it uses to grasp rocks and branches, and can see well in spite of its small eyes.

Conservation

The Lesser Horseshoe Bat ha been extinct in northern England and the north midlands over the last 50 years. This species is in decline due to a number of factors, including the disturbance or destruction of roosts, changes in agricultural practices (such as the increased use of insecticides, which reduce prey availability) and the loss of suitable foraging habitats.

Working towards helping bio diversity, we wish to see the population of these bats conserved and, if possible, enhanced. Hopefully, our new bat information and observation centre would contribute towards increasing education and interest, thus taking a step closer to this wider goal.