Saturday January 11 and Sunday January 12, the Conservatory of Natural Spaces (CEN) of Champagne-Ardenne and the Naturalistes Champagne-Ardenne association carried out a count of bats in the department, particularly in the Langres, Chaumont and Colombey sectors.
More than 50 people were mobilized throughout the weekend of January 10, 11 and 12 to count bats: many experienced volunteers, the Conservatory of Natural Spaces of Champagne-Ardenne (CENCA) and the Naturalistes association Champagne-Ardenne chaired by Samuel Courtaut. The project manager for Aube and Haute-Marne, Lucie Schmitt, supervised the operation.
The base camp of these volunteers was located near Langres, on the “charmes en Chalet” estate. From there, they proceeded to count the bats in the south of the department. During these three days, they inventoried the different species of bats, particularly in military works in the Langres region, quarries in the Chamarandes-Choignes sector, and places near Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises. As Lucie Schmitt points out, the forts around Langres are considered, at the national level, as major sites for the Barbastelle of Europe.
Thirty sites and more than 2,000 individuals
Thirty sites were surveyed this year in Haute-Marne, for a total of 2,131 individuals (compared to 900 last year) and fourteen species counted. The sites are well known to specialists: caves, tunnels and other rock cavities sheltered from view and human activity. These sites have several things in common, including a stable temperature and a constant humidity level so that the bats' wings are not damaged.
The flagship species recorded this weekend were: the lesser horseshoe bat (780 individuals), the greater horseshoe bat (502 individuals) and the European barbastelle (333 individuals). Horseshoe bats particularly like sites where temperatures vary the least, such as quarries.
As bats have been protected since 2007, it is prohibited to destroy or disturb them, by making noise or damaging their breeding and resting sites.
The most sensitive period for them in hibernation extends from the end of October to the end of March. Over this period, these species are extremely sensitive to different disturbances, whether sound, light or heat.
Lucie Schmitt and three volunteers – Laurent Fauvel, Adrien Ollivier and Pierre Fresnois – were present on a site, near Colombey, this Sunday January 12. They meticulously inspected all the flaws, using their headlamps, without making any noise. Thus they were able to identify and count the number of individuals encountered. Large “clusters” of several dozen bats were observed, grouped together on a rock wall to keep warm. Seven species were recognized, compared to three on the same site last year, which is encouraging.
The OFB present on the operation
The French Biodiversity Office (OFB) was represented and participated in this observation operation. This organization also acts as an advisor on the development of the various sites in order to disturb this species as little as possible, which is the subject of various conventions and protection laws both at national and European level.
-From our correspondents
Aurélie Chenot and Jean-Daniel Bonhomme
Lucie Schmitt, the new protector of bats
Lucie Schmitt holds a BTS “Nature management and protection”, obtained in the Jura, and a professional license “Study and development of natural spaces (Eden)”, pursued on a work-study basis in Montpellier.
Since September, she has worked fully for the CNE of Champagne-Ardenne, as manager of bat projects in Aube and Haute-Marne: “Within the Conservatory, I am in charge of the Regional Action Plan in favor of bats (Prac), which consists of implementing actions to preserve species and their habitats. So, it is me who coordinates this “SOS bats” action, with the organization and carrying out of winter and summer counts. But I also carry out acoustic studies, nature activities, and I carry out arrangements in favor of the preservation of bats.”
Around twenty species, one of which is very rare
The presence of bats, an umbrella species that only feeds on insects, is an indicator of the good health of the ecosystem.
There are around twenty species of bats in Champagne-Ardenne, France having more than thirty. A new rare species, considered near threatened (population estimated at 3,000 individuals in France) was detected by CEN ultrasound last summer, for the first time in Haute-Marne.
Lucie Schmitt gave some details: “the euryale rhinolope is a species that is usually found in the south, around the Mediterranean. In France, we observed it in Yonne recently, so it seems to be heading north but we still need validation to understand why it left and if it is an isolated case.”
