A quick impromptu bat foray last night proved to be one of the best bat watching nights I’ve had at Radipole! Chris suggested we go out for a wander around the reserve to see what was going on. No sooner had he finished his sentence my coat was on and Armed with a torch and a bat detector we headed out to concrete bridge. We were greeted by several Noctule bats which are the largest species found in the UK. They are obvious due to their early evening appearance and their one foot wingspan. These were a first for Chris, which meant he was very excited about his encounter and has since described his excitement as being near the ‘upper limits on a scale of one to seventeen.’
Four other species were seen. Common and Soprano Pipistrelle, Serotine and one of my favourites, the Daubenton’s bat which is also occasionally called the water bat. The bats will pick up insects from the surface of the water, which was bad news for floating insects last night as Daubenton’s were out in force!
I’m afraid there’s no accompanying photograph as both Chris and myself find it very difficult taking photographs in the dark. Sorry!
Oh wow! I love watching bats and can't believe how many different kinds you saw, sounded brilliant :-)