Saturday evening, 18 people and two bat detectors went on an expedition to that distant land called “outside the hotel,” looking for bats. Biologist Gwen and bat enthusiast Richard Proctor arranged the walk after discovering Friday that they had both brought their bat detectors with them.
The bat detectors pick up the high-pitched noises the bats use for navigation and turn it into something the human ear can hear. A trained user can determine the species of bat by the pattern of the sounds.
According to Richard Proctor, the best places to find bats are near old trees, and near open water – both of which are present by the hotel. So hopes were high as the bat walkers went out into the night. And they were not disappointed: during the one hour walk, going just around the hotel, the detectors picked up the sounds of 12-20 bats. The participants even saw a few of the bats flying by.
The bats heard during the walk belonged to three different species: Daubenton’s bats, Pippistrelles and a third, unidentified species.
The walk was such a success, the two bat connoisseurs are giving da capo. So if you missed the walk you’ll have the chance tonight at 8 o’clock.
Elias
1 comment:
Stop Press:
The third 'unidentified' species of bat was, in fact, Mary-Ellen Murphy's voice as it rose higher and higher in pitch until it could clean glass
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