At the end of March Giving Nature a Home (GNAH) in Cardiff hosted its very first Bat Walk evening; a chance to find out more about some of Cardiff’s more elusive creatures.
Despite the mist that had descended during the day, the first part of the evening saw a mighty group gather together at the RSPB Cymru office for an introduction to the Bat Walk. Huddled inside the warmth we were joined by Alex Pollard of Cardiff Bat Group and Richie Roberts from the Cardiff Park Ranger team, who shared their extensive knowledge and marvellous stories about Cardiff’s local bats.
The UK is home to 18 bat species, all of which eat insects (insectivorous) and remarkably here in Cardiff, we share our home with fifteen of them. Cardiff is especially proud to be able to boast the Lesser Horseshoe bat, a particularly rare species of bat. Alex was able to tell us how to identify which bat is which and what we should listen out for when we’re out and about around Cardiff. Whether it’s by the ‘ping-pong ball’ sound of a Soprano Pipistrelle or the low swooping flight of a Daubenton’s, here at GNAH Cardiff we are now definitely ready to identify Cardiff’s nocturnal creatures as darkness descends!Podge the Bat showing us his broken wing Photo credit: Emrys Ruck
As well as getting to grips with the different bats that live in Cardiff we also received some top tips about how to find the bats in our city. A recent ‘Bats and Bikes’ project saw several enthusiastic volunteers cycle the length of the Taff Trail with bat detectors strapped to their helmets (there were a few suggestions that this should be the GNAH Cardiff team uniform!). They found that the bats that live closest to home are the Daubenton’s that can be seen in the summer evenings from the bridges in Cardiff’s Bute Park. These low-flying bats swoop across the water, searching for midges, and with a Bat Detector their machine-gun like calls can be heard as they call out to one another. It’s also possible to spot our flying friends in action is by visiting Cardiff’s St Fagan’s Museum and many bats can roost slightly closer to home than you may think. Before we stepped out into the cold, we had the opportunity to meet Alex’s special bat called Podge. Poor Podge had an injured wing and he was being looked after by hand as he could no longer fly. He was very friendly and loved meeting everyone – especially the children, who gave him a good sniff and decided that he had a very distinct batty smell!Giving Nature a Home in Cardiff Bat Walk TeamPhoto credit: Emrys Ruck
After we said goodbye to Podge we bundled up into our coats, wielded our Bat Detectors and headed over to Cardiff’s Sophia Gardens to see what bats we could spot. On our way up to the bridge we were lucky enough to hear a Soprano Pipistrelle somewhere above our heads, and as we circled back down to the gardens we even saw the cheeky chappie fly out from the trees as if to say goodbye before we headed home: a fantastic finish to a thrilling evening.
Here at GNAH Cardiff we love any opportunity to find out more about the fantastic creatures that are living in our city. If you want to join us as we give nature a helping hand and enjoy all that our wildlife has to offer, you can email me at stacey.baldwin@rspb.org.uk to find out more.Podge the Bat showing us his broken wing Photo credit: Emrys Ruck