Wildlife UK Forum - Discuss the UK countryside and wildlife

Brilliant!

There was just one for a while, giving it some in the back garden, and responding to my bat call, now there's 2, and they seem to be keeping very close company.

I was wondering if they might pair, and maybe the young were weaned and both adults were able to go out hunting?

This maybe a romantic notion, as I know the young are fully ready to go after only a few weeks.

Still, I'd like to think there was love on the horizon...

Welcome to the forums nightofjoy, that sounds wonderful! It would be nice to think there was love around wouldn't it?

As you may know Pipistrelle bats are normally born in their breeding colonies around June or July.

Both parents hunt but of course only the female feeds the young (on milk) The female leaves the single offspring in the colony whilst they hunt.

Females Can reproduce at one year of age but males have to wait until they are two. So the question is are they this year's young or are they mature adults? But are they male & female????

you might be able to find out what sex they are by observing when they are out and about..

apparently male bats don't have to go out and hunt every night as they can go into torpor so if it's wet, cold or other conditions they don't like then they stay at home .. female bats with young however have to hunt every night so they can produce milk for the young.. so if your bats are out every night whatever the conditions then they might be female, if just one is out every night then it might be feamle and the other male (I learnt that curtesy of Nick Tomlinson from the Dorset Bat group on a bat detector training and bat walk night on Saturday!)

I also have a pip bat flying around my garden at dusk - I think it is male as it's only there when conditions are good...