Record from my flat - Pipistrelle species

At around 8 p.m., I saw a small bat species, a presumed Pipistrelle species but, as always, impossible to identify to species level as a Common Pipistrelle or Soprano Pipistrelle without a bat detector. It was easy to see the bat's fluttering flight against the remaining light in the sky and I was able to watch it for a few minutes.

This was my first bat record of the year and, since bats generally enter hibernation in tree roosts or other suitable sites early November, there is still a chance of seeing more.

The Common Pipistrelle is a small microbat whose very large range extends across most of Europe and beyond. It is one of the most common bat species in the UK. However, there is a problem in specifically identifying Common Pipistrelle with confidence. In 1999, it was split into 2 species on the basis of different frequency echolocation calls. The Common Pipistrelle makes an echolocation call between 45 and 76 kHz with most energy at 47 kHz and an average duration of 5.6 ms whilst the Soprano Pipistrelle makes an echolocation call between 53 and 86 kHz with most energy at 55 kHz and an average duration of 5.8 ms.

The 2 species can only be confidently identified by very subtle differences in size and appearance, DNA analysis and sonograms from bat detectors. The 2 Pipistrelle species don't just have differing echolocation signatures and genetic divergence. They also have different shaped and different coloured penises😀.

It is safe to say that in rapidly fading light, no bat detector or science laboratory at home and no penis photos, the bat that I saw can only be described as a Pipistrelle species 😀.

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