As the long summer days are starting to wane, it’s a great time to enjoy the earlier dusk and all the wildlife it brings. It is not just our nocturnal feathered friends we are looking out for at this time of year, we are also hoping to spy the only truly flying mammal, the bat.
Despite being synonymous with Halloween, an August evening is a wonderful time to see these amazing creatures as they flutter in seeming chaos above our gardens and greenspaces.
There are eight species of bat found in Northern Ireland and they can be identified by the habitat they are found in, their size and colour, and by their flight height and pattern.Also, each bat species produces an echolocation of a different frequency, these ultrasonic "clicking" sounds and returning echoes, not only allow the bat to create a picture of its surroundings in complete darkness without visual input, but can be picked up using bat detectors, to easily identify bat species.
So, to make the most of these last few weeks of summer why not join us to do just that at our Brilliant Bats event, on Thursday 18 August, or our family-focused event Big Wild Summer -- Bat Night for Families on Saturday 27 August, at Belfast’s Window on Wildlife?
Taking place on the shores of Belfast Lough, this event promises to be a very different kind of nature walk, as it sets off from sunset onwards.
As we too often find with our wildlife, bats throughout Northern Ireland are threatened by loss of roosting sites and feeding habitats that were once abundant and widespread. Bats usually choose to roost in tree holes, dingy tunnels and buildings which are becoming very scarce due to globalisation and change in landscape.
However, at Belfast’s Window on Wildlife the lagoon provides a breeding ground for water born species of flying insects and the trees which line the boundary of the reserve also provide habitat for insects which are a valuable food source for the different species found at the reserve, as well as bats themselves.
These events provide opportunities to join RSPB NI Warden, Maureen Harvey-Graham as she leads a torchlit walk around the reserve, using bat detectors to find and identity as many species of bat as possible. You can discover pipistrelles, Leisler's, and Daubenton's bats as they have all been recorded at the reserve.
Tickets to events at Belfast's Window on Wildlife can be booked here