A huge ‘thank you’ to Jane Taylor for organising, on behalf of the Village Hall Committee, the Bat Walk and Talk last Thursday evening (8th June)! A group of over thirty adults and children joined Sarah Butcher – chair of the Devon Bat Group – on a bat walk and talk around the village, which was much enjoyed by all who took part.
After a preliminary introduction from Sarah, in which she explained about the habits and habitations of the various bats to be found in Britain, we were given bat detectors and set off about 9.15pm. It was just the right time for bats to begin to be active and we weren’t disappointed! Within the first five minutes we encountered several bats, which we were able to pick up on our detectors, and Sarah explained that they were two different species – common pipistrelle and soprano pipistrelle. Bat calls are usually pitched too high for us to hear but the detector converts the ultrasonic bat calls into sounds audible to humans.
A wonderful evening to be walking around our beautiful village, with the added advantage of hearing, as well as seeing, where bats are located in the village – as well as having Sarah share her vast knowledge and answering our questions. (Another added bonus was being able to hear a nightjar calling, on the Moor, just beyond Birchy Lake – which was a first for some of us).
There are still areas of the village to search for bats and Sarah is very willing to come back again, at a different time of year, so do look out for information on this.
In the meantime, here are some useful contact details, if you would like to find out more about these wonderful creatures.
Thinking about garden lighting and the impact on Bats:
https://www.bats.org.uk/about-bats/threats-to-bats/lighting
Devon Bat group events, for more opportunities to go bat detecting (or see their facebook page): https://devonbatgroup.org/events/
Men in Sheds will make bat boxes, if you want one in your garden (suggested donation £10).
If you do, contact Jane Taylor on 01837 840661
If anyone is inspired to buy a bat detector or equipment, there’s lots of advice here:
https://www.bats.org.uk/support-bats/gifts
And, finally, if you want to grow appropriate plants to encourage bats to frequent your garden click the button below:
Photos by Chris Walpole and Jane Taylor
