Friends of Abbey Fields bat walk

The annual bat walk and talk took place on Wednesday evening, July 8th. The weather was fine though not as warm as in the previous week.

The talk was given by Dr Jon Russ, a local bat expert and professional ecologist. Three of his colleagues from the Warwickshire Bat Group, Tricia, John and Julia, joined him to help people spot the bats on the walk, which was fortunate because a group of 35 people gathered in the corner of Abbey Fields car park at 9:15 pm to hear what Jon had to say.

Jon gave a short and informative talk about bats in general and those species to be found in Warwickshire. He also explained some of the reasons why their numbers have declined in previous decades, although the decline is being halted and may even be reversing for some species, thanks to the efforts of volunteer bat groups and the Bat Conservation Trust.

Jon gives an introductory talk in the car park

Jon and Tricia showed the assembled people two pipistrelle bats which are currently in the care of a local bat carer, having been found unable to fly. Although one was feeling well enough to eat one of the mealworms which Jon had brought along to show what is fed to bats in care. The normal food of wild bats is flying insects - so every time we heard a bat catch an insect, that was one less to bite us as we walked around!

After seeing the bats in the hand, we walked over among the trees by the old Abbey barn and gatehouse, where a number of the Bat Group's bat detectors were shared out, so that people could hear as well as see the bats hunting insects over our heads. These were Britain's smallest bats: common and soprano pipistrelles.

watching soprano and common pipistrelles feeding next to the Abbey Gatehouse

We then walked over to the lake in the hope of seeing Daubenton's bats but unfortunately there was a bit of a cool breeze and the Daubenton's didn't seem to have come out to hunt over the water, although we continued to hear pipistrelles there and as we walked around by the back of the swimming pool. We also saw and heard noctules, Britain's largest bat.

Looking for Daubenton's over the lake

Jon had been hoping to hear the rare Nathusius' pipistrelle by the lake, since some other members of the bat group had heard one earlier that week, but they didn't appear on this occasion.

Nathusius' bats were proving to be elusive but the pipistrelles still put on a fine show