The adorable little Greater Horseshoe Bats of Stackpole have mesmerized audiences on the BBC’s Autumnwatch series this year.

But what makes them even more special is the fact that their Pembrokeshire numbers far exceed those found anywhere else in Europe.

The bats’ European decline rose by a shocking 90 per cent during the 20th century, but in Pembrokeshire, their batlike presence continues to rise.

“It’s extremely encouraging but also a testimony to the very sensitive approach which the Pembrokeshire farmers are adopting,” said Mary Chadwick, a conservation officer with the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority and secretary of the Pembrokeshire Bat Group.

“The Greater Horseshoe Bats’ main prey are large beetles such as cockchafers, dung beetles and large moths, but these have suffered a sharp decline in recent years due to the use of certain livestock worming treatments which make their dung toxic to invertebrates.”

The problem has been researched by Dr Sarah Beynon at the Bug farm in St Davids who has pioneered research into which worming treatments are the safest for dung invertebrates.

As a result, Pembrokeshire's quality pastures are helping to promote the large invertebrates which are subsequently being gobbled up by the bats.

And the Greater Horseshoes are prepared to travel for their fuel.

Tivyside Advertiser: One of the Greater Horseshoe Bats at StackpoleOne of the Greater Horseshoe Bats at Stackpole (Image: Pembrokeshire Bat Group)

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“They forage over a very wide area which can extend to around 16km away from their roosts and back again every night,” continued Mary Chadwick.

“They only fly along hedges and lines of trees so the removal of hedgerows can isolate them and they also dislike artificial light which stops them from feeding or commuting through well-lit areas.

There are three maternity roosts for greater horseshoe bats in Pembrokeshire with the result that the area has been identified as an internationally important Special Area of Conservation and these are the only known breeding sites in Wales.

Stackpole has the largest colony, with a record high of 939 adults recorded in 2022.

The colony in Slebech Park Hotel reached 498 in 2021, and a relatively new colony near Newport now has over 700 bats, which is a staggering increase from just 53 when it was first discovered in the year 2000.

Volunteers from the Pembrokeshire Bat Group monitor these sites along with 12 lesser horseshoe roosts and numerous hibernation sites every year. The work is part of the National Bat Monitoring Programme coordinated by the Bat Conservation Trust.