A bat has been discovered on St Kilda for the very first time.

Despite wildlife and environment experts scouring the island - located over 41 miles west of the Benbecula - the tiny mammal was spotted by tourists who came ashore on a day trip to the world heritage site.

It is believed to be the most north westerly part of Europe a bat has been discovered.

Vistors snapped snapped a tiny reddish-brown coloured Nathusius pipistrelle bat - about the size of a sparrow - sunbathing on a stone bothy on Hirta, the main island in the archipelago.

Rarely are Nathusius pipistrelle bats seen in the UK though the odd one has been found on oil rigs in the North Sea on occasions, indicating they do travel over sea from the Continent for long distances. In some areas, small groups have started to reside.

Lindsey MacKinlay, nature advisor for the National Trust for Scotland (NTS), which operates St Kilda as a nature reserve, is thrilled with the discovery.

He confirmed it was a Nathusius pipistrelle bat.

He said: “This is absolutely brilliant. Its fantastic. We are well chuffed.

“Despite giving people bat detectors on St Kilda for years, we have never found a bat before.”

Now the NTS will “have a closer look and do a more systematic survey” to see if more bats are on the island, he said.

Anne Youngman, Scottish officer with the Bat Conservation Trust said: “This is a really exciting find.

“But we don’t think it lives there all the time as it prefers freshwater and woodland - not the saltwater on (treeless) windswept St Kilda.”

She said it was probably a migratory bat which got lost and blown off course.

The nathusius pipistrelle bat is about the size of a human thumb. In flight its wings can stretch out to 25cm. Small colonies have started to reside in the UK.

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