Thrill of the Hill - Flying Blind: Conservation Management for Bats with Harry Fisher

Thrill of the Hill is back for season 6! Armed with a new team, new ideas and a range of new speakers, Alex takes on the hot topics impacting the farmed upland environment. Bats are a defining—if often unseen—part of Scotland’s working landscapes. From the edges of upland pasture to lowland hedgerows, shelterbelts and farm ponds, these nocturnal insect-eaters weave through dusk and darkness, helping to regulate moths, midges and beetles while signalling the health of our wider environment.  Species like the common and soprano pipistrelle, brown long-eared bat and Daubenton’s bat use farms for roosting, commuting and feeding, linking woodlands, water and field margins into living networks. Yet changes in building use, loss of hedgerows, brighter yard lighting and reduced insect abundance can make life harder for these protected mammals and the benefits they bring. In this episode, ecologist and environmental consultant Harry Fisher from SAC Consulting Ltd walks us through practical, farm-ready actions: keeping and restoring hedgerows as flight corridors; creating or managing ponds and wetlands; planning yard lighting to reduce glare and skyglow; timing roofing and renovation work to protect roosts; and planning activities through the calendar year. We’ll also look at simple additions like bat boxes, how to spot signs of bat activity, where to find advice, and how agri-environment options and local projects can help with costs and guidance. Want to get in touch with Harry? Contact him via telephone at 01292 525090 for advice on surveys, roost considerations during building works, and habitat improvements suited to your farm.Related FAS ResourcesBats and Biodiversity | Helping farmers in ScotlandOther Related ResourcesHome - Bat Conservation Trust