Mammals

Early marsh orchid on Lough Carra shore

Lesser horse shoe Bat

Moore Hall cellar

Did You Know?

Bats can see, but use sound waves to locate their prey.

Lesser Horseshoe Bat

Moore Hall holds one of Europe’s most northerly populations of lesser horseshoe bats, named for their distinctive, horseshoe-shaped nose leaf. The woodland and lake around Moore Hall make excellent habitat for these bats, which emerge from their roosts around sunset to feed on flying insects before returning to the roost before dawn. Each bat consumes thousands of insects every night.

During the winter, lesser horseshoes hibernate in the cellars of the main house, hanging upside down with their wings wrapped around them.
In summer, females use the coach house as a maternity roost, where they raise their single offspring.

The lesser horseshoe bat population is stable here, though threats include cold winters, habitat loss, noise, and light pollution.

Red Squirrel

Moore Hall Nature Reserve holds a resident population of red squirrels. These elusive animals spend a lot of time high in the trees. Although they are wary, you might spot them scampering overhead or even feeding on the ground.

The coniferous and broadleaf trees on site provide very good habitat for red squirrels, which enjoy a varied diet of seeds, nuts, berries, flowers and buds, as well as fungi and wild fruit. When food is abundant, they will squirrel some away for later consumption.

A female squirrel can raise up to 6 young every year, in a camouflaged nest called a drey. Few squirrels live beyond five or six years of age.

Irish red squirrels became extinct by 1800 due to hunting pressure. The ones we see now are descendants of those reintroduced from Britain in the 19th century.

One of the greatest threats facing them today is the grey squirrel, an invasive species which was introduced to Ireland over 100 years ago but is not found locally.

The red squirrel is protected under Irish Wildlife Acts. In recent years its numbers have increased again due to improved habitat cover and greater public awareness.