We are working with English Nature to preserve the feeding grounds of a colony of very rare greater horseshoe bats. The bats are the size of a small fist, with a wingspan of just over one foot. They are the largest native bat in Britain. During the summer they give birth in old barns and stables. The babies are often left in the nursery roost in the care of a few senior bats while the mothers go off to feed. The adults often fly several miles each night, hunting moths and beetles. They can't fly through dense woodland, and avoid developed areas.

To save energy, they hang from the lower branches of hedgerow trees until they detect some prey within range. The babies are fed milk until they are weaned, then have to learn to hunt beetles to grow sufficiently before heading underground to hibernate through the winter. Organic farms tend to support more insects, and the cowpats at West Hill Farm produce abundant dung beetles, a vital food source for young greater horseshoe bats.