Do bats generally fly about looking for food in the same place they roost, or do they travel a bit? We have an adult and a baby bat flying round the garden most nights. I know which side of the house they're most likely to be in if they are here. We were planning on getting that particular bit of the house re-roofed, but I know they're protected and you can't go disturbing roosts. Just wondering what position we're in if it came down to disturbing the bats or water damage to over half of the house. No problem with them living here at all, and we have space to put bat boxes if needs be, but don't know what we can and can't do on our own.
Call the local bat society they'll be able to work out if you have a problem
He's on his way.
[img] 
[/img]
From vague memory youll have to wait until oct or novemberish, although that may only apply if you need planning and there is probably some allowance for emergency repair work
I have nothing to add other than...
The Bat Conservation Trust claims that they commute between their roosts and foraging habitats, although I don't know why they would need to do that if food was plentiful near their roosts.
But anyway the Bat Conservation Trust seems to be the people for advise as they "help people create bat friendly gardens".
http://www.bats.org.uk/pages/bat_habitats.html
I have bats in a bathouse on the south facing gable end where it gets the sun. They do fly around getting bugs in the immediate vicinity. I have n way of knowing how far away they go, though.
They do commute about, normally following lines of trees or hedgerows. If you need a re roof, it could be they're roosting in your loft. If there are any lifted tiles or missing ridge mortar there's potential for them to get in. Small species only need a 10mm hole.
Ring the Helpline on the BCT page and you can arrange a free visit from someone who can advise on wether those bats are actually roosting in your house and the best way to get your work done legally.
The Bat Conservation Trust claims that they commute between their roosts and foraging habitats, although I don't know why they would need to do that if food was plentiful near their roosts.
Many bats would roost in dead trees but as these are rarely left standing in managed woodlands they need to find other sites.
Most of they prey species are able to detect the ultra sonic pulses so the bats need to keep moving to find enough food.
When they come out of their roost they are generally warming up, having a look around and getting a feeling for the weather etc.
OP - If you have a garden that supports insects they may just come to hunt.
If they are around at dusk they they may be roosting near or at your house, you could spend some time working out when they first appear, and narrow it down from that.
For example, If the previous night was wet then they should leave their roost earlier as they will be hungry.
(If your in Scotland), try contacting SNH.
Bats will commute a bit from the roost to foraging areas, and maybe have more than one roost. But if you think its a breeding roost you may have more than a couple of bats and also have issues getting a licence to disturb them.
Thanks for the advice folks. Yes, we're in Scotland and the garden supports approximately 87 billion midges on an average summer's eve, so maybe they do travel for the eat-as-much-as-you-can buffet. I'll get in touch with the SNH and see what's what.
the bats we get in our garden have to travel about 10 yards from their roost.