Bats get a bad press but, if you can accept they aren’t after your blood, you’ll be amazed by these magnificent mammals!
Northern Ireland is home to eight species of bats and, as its name suggests, the common pipistrelle is found most often here. They can weigh as little as three grams – about the same as a 5p coin - but can munch their way though 3,000 insects in just one night!
Common Pipistrelle. Credit Hugh Clark, Bat Conservation Trust.
Sadly bat populations in the UK have declined dramatically in recent years due to loss of suitable feeding and roosting habitat.
It’s illegal to kill bats, disturb them, or to damage their roost sites at any time of the year. They play important roles in the environment, from spreading plant seeds to controlling pests, so it’s vital they are protected.
To find out more about these winged wonders, why not join us on Friday 16 September at Castle Caldwell in County Fermanagh? We’ll be there with the Northern Ireland Bat Group to explore the forest after dark.
With the help of specialist technology, you’ll be able to hear the bats’ high frequency calls which are normally beyond the range of human hearing.
Despite the wind and rain at last year’s event, we were lucky enough to hear the calls of a colony of pipistrelles roosting in a disused building!
Find out more about this event and book your place. Places are filling up fast so swoop into action today!
Or find out what you can do to help give bats a home in your patch, at www.rspb.org.uk/homes