David's Bat Blog: Bat surveys - where odd stuff is normal

Thursday, 18 March 2021

Bat surveys - where odd stuff is normal

Bat surveys are one of the few things in life where one gets the chance to poke about in all sorts of unusual buildings, sometimes occupied, sometimes derelict and sometimes ruined, but always showing evidence of what a strange species human beings are. Here are a few of my favourites.

I never found out why this disused South Lanarkshire timber factory had creepy dolls scattered inside it.

The discovery of this decapitated rabbit on a tree-stump was made especially disturbing as it was outside the entrance to a disused Dundee asylum.

Staring at a building during bat emergence surveys requires tenacity at the best of times, but this frankly repulsive mural added an extra challenge for our survey team.

I have no idea who Gary is or what he really looks like, but as this Midlothian warehouse has now been demolished it's nice that his colleagues' caring views can be immortalised here.

This derelict building in Argyll had clearly been visited by a graffiti artist with psychic powers - these two pciture are a perfect prediction of our arrival.

In the dim light of a derelict woollen mill this heap of tailor’s dummies made my heart jump for a moment!

It’s good when clients pay attention to my advice about not disturbing a known bat roost…

It looked like the kids at this Dundee Primary School knew we were coming!

This derelict Glasgow hospital clearly hadn’t been somebody’s favourite place to work.

We’ve had a few sunset surveys with noisy Herring Gull colonies, but I’m not sure what this person’s issue was…

I don’t know who Shifty is or was, but I wouldn’t like to meet him on a dark night.

I could fill dozens of posts with the amazing graffiti at Polphail, Argyll, but this one in my favourite. Sadly it’s demolished now, replaced by two bat houses.