Bat survey carried out at Japanese Pavilion
AN EMERGENCY bat survey is being carried out on the Japanese Pavilion at Saumarez Park, ahead of a new structure being installed there.
A complete rebuild of the pavilion, known to many as the Duck House, is being done as part of the Rotary Club of Guernsey’s centenary celebrations, which start officially in 2022.
The club wanted to provide a lasting and sustainable legacy for all of the community to enjoy.
However, the project’s site manager, Nigel Dorey, was informed that there were reports of bats potentially roosting in the roof, which had to be inspected.
‘We wouldn’t begin any work on taking down the old pavilion structure until we had the all-clear from Environment that the wildlife will not be disturbed,’ he said.
Previously, a preliminary bat roost survey was carried out and no obvious roosts were found.
An Agriculture, Countryside & Land Management Services spokesman said it was likely that bats were just using the site for foraging rather than roosting there, but due to new reported sightings, a further emergency survey on the pavilion itself has been commissioned before the building work gets under way.
‘Once the emergency assessment has been carried out we will have a better understanding of whether there are any bats roosting at the pavilion and in what capacity.
‘We will then be in a better position to suggest what will happen next and how this might affect the works on the pavilion,’ he said.
Saumarez Park’s combination of standing fresh water and mature trees means it offers important habitat for a range of bat species, although it is not clear where they roost.
Bats have lots of different types of roosts for different stages in their lives, different weather, and even different times throughout the night and the mitigation for each type is different.
