Going Batty in the Park

noctule

An amazing turn out (Friday 7 Sept) of local families in search of bats in our Park.  79 people in total were counted, of all ages and differing ethic backgrounds, confirming that we do want organised environmental activity in our Park.

Senior Ranger Steve Hinton gave a very intuitive talk about bats dispelling some of the myths we have all grown up to believe - no they won’t get stuck in your hair and the phrase 'as blind as a bat' is really plain batty because bats can see as clearly as we can. 

As the evening chorus wains away the bats should take to the air.

The Rangers (from the Lickey Hub) led us, armed with bat detectors and a torch the power of a few thousand candles, around the park.    Some organised folk came along kitted out with their own torches and binoculars, even the smaller children, who enjoyed taking a more Indiana Jones approach, scrambling in the thick of it under the bushes and slugs!

A bit about how we find bats.  All photographs and the following exerts are taken from the Bat Conservation Website: www.bats.org.uk . Please visit it, you can get involved with bat surveys and even adopt a bat.

‘Bats use high frequency calls, normally beyond the range of human hearing, build up a sound picture of their surroundings. This system, called echolocation, enables them to wing their way through the night and hunt down even the tiniest of insects. Humans can usually hear echolocation calls only by using a device called a bat detector, which makes the bats’ echolocation sounds audible to humans’

We all waited patiently, as the sun fell behind the Scotch Pines, listening and looking for any of the varieties of bats  known to inhabit the Park.   We waited but with limited success hearing a small number of bats and seeing only one or two.  We moved along the canal feeder picking up a couple, then onto the banks of the River Rea. Here we soon realised the bats were skimming along the surface of the river,  hidden by the the of trees, out of view.   The detectors registered common pipistrelle and noctule:

                                                                    common pipistrelle

Common pipistrelle - Pipistrelles are the commonest British bats, weighing around 5 grams (less than a £1 coin).  A single pipistrelle can eat 3,000 tiny insects in just one night! 

Noctule - This bat has long narrow wings and flies in a straight line, very high and fast. It's our biggest bat, but it's still smaller than the palm of your hand!

For facts sheets on these bats and other go to http://www.bats.org.uk/pages/uk_bats.html#Nathusius 

Ranger Steve considered the reasons for so few sightings - one explanation could be that on this evening there was a lack of cloud cover which, when this happens at this time of year, causes a sudden damp chill in the air, resulting in the number of midges (those things nibbling us at the start) reduce rapidly.  In turn, the bats will not come out to hunt as frequently, choosing to conserve their energy instead. 

However, with the sky so clear it gave those with a keen interest in astrology an opportunity to identify satellites and star constellations - see below for forthcoming Lickey Hills Star Gazing event.  

Thank you for supporting  our event  Please keep in touch like. - tell us the type of activities you would like to see in the Park.

ON STARS!!!   LICKEY HILLS FREE FAMILY EVENT:   presents, STAR GAZING on FRIDAY 28 SEPTEMBER from 7pm.  You can enter a star gazing dome to view the southern and northern skies, ask questions and find out facts.  Other activities include talks, an opportunity to look through powerful telescopes to moon gaze and astrologists will be on hand to guide you.   Call the Rangers to find out more 0121 445 6036

NEXT EVENT IN KINGS NORTON PARK – SAT 13 OCTOBER 2012 11.30am to 2.30pm Upper Civic Garden.  Celebrating our new facilities, activities from the Friends of Kings Norton Park, Rangers, National Trust, The Civic Society and local groups.  There will be a brief opening ceremony at 1pm and an exhibition in the Library.   This day is also a farmer’s market day so please pop along to buy your local organic produce before or after visiting us.

email  info@foknp@gmail.com
blog  friendsofkingsnortonpark@gmail.com