Get ‘bat’ to nature this hallowe’en

30th October, 2008

Watching out for wicked wildlife and spook-tacular species in back gardens and local nature reserves could result in chilling thrills this Hallowe’en (Friday 31 October), according to The Wildlife Trusts.

The Wildlife Trusts are encouraging families to banish age-old myths and befriend bats by getting to know them better - through walks, talks and at visiting bat hot-spots throughout the UK.

Bats are unique nocturnal mammals and do not get entangled in long hair, will not damage paint or woodwork and are not blind.

Bats perform a useful service, devouring large numbers of insect pests, such as mosquitoes. Favourite bat snacks include midges, mosquitoes, moths and small flies. As tiny mammals, bats need to eat huge numbers and can get through up to 3,000 insects every night.

There are 17 species of bat in the UK but their numbers are declining, and many of them are now rare and confined to southern England. Pesticides and the loss of woodland, hedgerows and pastures have reduced the availability of insects for food, and sites for roosting.

Gardens with flowers and ponds attract insects and are excellent hunting grounds for pipistrelle or brown long-eared bats, which often make their homes in trees, house fronts and bat boxes. Look out for them emerging from these places as it begins to get dark.

Find out more, including how to build batboxes and help these fearsome flyers, at www.wildlifetrusts.org/gardening (basically boxes 2)

Here are a few Hallowe’en and bat-related events being held by The Wildlife Trusts – and some of the best places to see them too:

Friday 31 October 2008

Ghastly ghouls
10.30am-12noon and 1pm-2.30pm at Parkridge Centre with Warwickshire Wildlife Trust. Come along in fancy dress for spooky games and goings-on. Learn all about bats and make ghastly goulish creations. For details, contact Amanda Henshaw on 0121 704 0768

Things that go bump in the night
6.30pm-8.30pm at SCEEC with Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust. Learn about creatures which come out at night - includes a hot drink around a camp fire. Suitable for children aged seven and older. You need to book and the cost is £5 per family. For details, call Linda Knight on 01235 862024.

Hallowe’en Pumpkin Party
10am – 12noon at Far Ings Visitor Centre with Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust. A variety of Hallowe’en activities to start the spooky season. You need to book and the cost is £3. For details, call 01652 637055.

Slithering Slugs and other minibeasts
10.30am - 12.30pm at Lorton Meadows Wildlife Centre with Dorset Wildlife Trust. Discover beasts, bugs & slugs. Activities for younger children, plus games, art & craft. You need to book and the cost is £1.50 per child. For details, call 01305 816546.

Haunted Hallowe’en
6pm - 8pm at Jordan Castle Farm with Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust. Fun family Hallowe’en event including apple bobbing, craft activities and spooky trails. For children aged seven and over. You need to book. For details, call Lynn Victor on 0115 958 8242.

Hallowe’en
4.30pm - 6.30pm at Millfield House with Northumberland Wildlife Trust. Join staff from the Trust and Newcastle City Council for Hallowe’en activities and spooky stories as part of the Living Waterways project. You need to book and the cost is £5 per person. For details, call 0191 284 6884.

Hallowe’en event
5pm - 7pm at East Cramlington Nature Reserve with Northumberland Wildlife Trust. Spooky trails and nature games for children. You need to book. For details, call 0191 284 6884.

Friday 31 October - Spooky night walk
6.30pm - 8pm at Far Ings Visitor Centre with Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust. A night time stroll around the reserve, for children, with ghost stories and games. You need to book and the cost is £2.50. For details, call 01652 637055.

Tall tales and Spooky stories
6.30pm - 8pm at Whisby Nature Park with Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust. Venture into the darkness and listen to ghoulish tales and ghostly goings-on along the way. You need to book and the cost is £2. For details, call 01522 696926.

Great places to spot bats with The Wildlife Trusts:

Sussex Wildlife Trust’s Ebernoe Common Nature Reserve is home to 14 species of bat and is one of the best sites in the UK for bat-spotting. Ebernoe supports two successful colonies of our rarest bats; barbastelles and Bechstein’s. www.sussexwt.org.uk

Daubenton’s bats can be frequently seen over the River Thames at Bucks, Berks and Oxon Wildlife Trust’s http://www.bbowt.org.uk/content.asp?did=23539" \t "_blankChimney Meadows Nature Reserve, near Bampton, as they skim over the surface of the water and ‘fish’ for insects using their large feet. www.bbowt.org.uk

Somerset Wildlife Trust was awarded an £18,000 donation from Biffaward in 2007 to help the greater horseshoe bat thrive in the community. The Trust has restored a derelict cottage, Keeper's Cottage in Harridge Woods, near Shepton Mallet, to provide a site for the bats to roost, breed and feed. www.somersetwildlife.org

Lancashire Wildlife Trust hosts bat walks at Foxhill Bank Nature Reserve, a well-known green haven in Oswaldtwistle. Visitors can use bat detectors in the field, enabling them to hear the calls of the different bat species. www.lancswt.org.uk

Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s Prideaux Wood Nature Reserve is home to the greater horseshoe bat, one of the rarest in the UK. The bats use the derelict mine shafts as hibernating roosts through the winter months and for breeding during the summer. The horseshoe bat can be distinguished by a broad u-shaped piece of skin on the face around the nostrils, which is part of their echo-location system. www.cornwallwildlifetrust.org.uk

Image credit - Brown long-eared bat copyright Sussex Wildlife Trust Hugh Clarke

Story by RSWT

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