Biodiversity Group: A Year in the Life of a Bat
| December – January | Hibernating somewhere cool with a constant temperature e.g. underground in caves, trees etc. on their own or in small groups. |
| February | Have little fat reserves left. May look for food and water on warmer nights. |
| March | Small numbers feeding on warmer nights but in colder conditions still go into a torpid state (semi-hibernation). |
| April | Mainly out of hibernation and are hungry and active, feeding on most nights. No longer returning to winter roosts but spending day in nearest suitable place. |
| May | Fully active and feeding. Females forming maternity colonies somewhere warm and dry. When back in condition females fertilise their egg. Males roosting on their own or in small groups. |
| June | Females give birth to a single pup (twins are rare) and suckle them. |
| July | By 3 weeks old young are learning to fly but are still reliant on mothers’ milk |
| August | At 6 weeks, the young are flying and begin to catch insects for themselves. Maternity colonies disperse and bats move to mating roosts. |
| September | Mating season begins (females store the live sperm until the following May) and building up fat reserves for the winter. |
| October | Mating continues as does building up fat reserves. Looking for hibernation sites. |
| November | Periods of torpor are lasting longer. Some begin hibernation. |
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