**If you're keen to become involved in bat conservation in St George Park, please email Kate at info@friendsofstgeorgepark.org.uk to express your interest**
On the 28th of April we held another Bat Walk with infamous conservationist Steve England and it couldn’t have been a more successful event! The weather was ideal, with lots of midges and moths buzzing around, enticing the bats. We were lucky enough to spot four species of bat this time: the tiny Pipistrelle, the Serotonin, the water-loving Daubenton’s, and the mighty Noctule.
We were barely two minutes into the walk when we were privileged enough to see two Noctules - Britain’s biggest bat - zipping over the lawns and between the trees. With our echolocators tuned to the right frequency, we were treated to ten minutes of pure bat time, watching them swoop and dance in the sky, dipping and diving, until we heard that fatal raspberry kiss of a moth being munched mid-flight.
The group then ventured to the Lake, where insects swarm galore above the water. Soon enough we were paid a visit by a pair of Daubenton's bats, an incredible species that feeds from the surface of the water, using its tail membrane to scoop up unsuspecting bugs.
Daubenton’s bat calls range from 35 to 85kHz and are loudest at 45 to 50kHz, which we were advised to tune into on our echolocators. Soon enough, and with our bat detectors pointed at the lake, the tell-tale machine gun like series of clicks came bursting through the radio.
We're looking forward to a post-Covid environment in which we can safely continue with our Park projects and plans. We are hoping to collaborate with UWE wildlife and conservation students to establish if our bats are roosting in the Park, or merely dropping by for dinner. This is a hugely exciting project and we can't wait to start it. As always, we'll keep you informed of any news and updates.
After events in the Park, we like to ask attendees for feedback, as the community’s opinion helps us to continually improve and enhance what we do in the Park.
Feedback for our Bat Walks is always positive, but we had some particularly lovely comments after our most recent walk:
“As always, the Bat Walk with Steve England was a fantastic event. We were lucky enough to have ideal conditions and spotted four species of bat. The echolocators devices are really amazing and so much fun to use! Steve England is great and really brings the Bat Walks alive with his knowledge and humour.” - Katie
“I really enjoyed the bat walk! It was very informative, interesting, and fun! Fantastic to use the bat detector and hear their little bat world. How lucky that we got to see four different species. Ill highly recommend to friends.” - Janet
“As a family we absolutely loved the bat walk. It was fantastic to be able to take part in an activity so close to home. We all really enjoyed the experience, Steve was very energetic and knowledgeable which made the evening fun and educational. I know he runs other events and my son was very interested in seeing birds of prey and finding out more about wildlife. We would happily donate to take part in more experiences on our doorstep.” - Carrie & Family
“I thought this was the best evening, I felt so grateful to have such an active bat night and to get to hear them all above us. Couldn’t have been better. Please pass on my thanks to Steve. I loved seeing the kids so involved with everything, its a great thing to learn about wildlife at that age. Thanks again.” - Rose
To find out more about Britain's bats, visit the Bat Conservation Trust website here.