The Chaindon temple, in Reconvilier in the Bernese Jura, is getting a makeover to welcome new faithful. But not just any bats: bats. A colony of 50 brown eared birds has taken up residence under the roof of the building.
The presence of this protected species in the attic of the Reformed church of Reconvilier (BE) was discovered two years ago. “The bats sleep in the attic, between the tiles and the cladding of the frame. They come out at night to feed,” explains Grégory Del Torchio, president of the Bernese Jura Bats association.
Work in the absence of bats
The brown bat is on the federal red list. There is therefore no question of chasing him away. On the contrary, the parish decided to cohabit with its new, somewhat unusual tenants and to renovate the attic which was in poor condition. But we had to wait until winter to carry out the work.
“Bats leave buildings in autumn, between October and November, to hibernate in caves,” notes biologist Valéry Uldry. “We are taking advantage of the fact that the animals are not there to do this work which could seriously disturb them in the summer,” adds this bat specialist.
-An investment of 30,000 francs
The insulation was redone and a new floor was laid. “The bat habitat will be more pleasant. And if there are little ones training to fly, they will not fall into the insulation. The mothers will be able to take them back to the ground,” underlines Grégory Del Torchio. Best of all, cleaning up bat guano once a year will be much easier.
The parish and the Chauves-Souris Jura Bernois association invested 30,000 francs for these renovations. The work should be completed by April, just in time for the return of the flying mammals. With these new arrangements, the temple hopes to accommodate around a hundred specimens.
Jan Haesler/dk
