Some people might be surprised to know that bats are all around us. They inhabit nearly every part of the world apart from the Arctic and Antarctic where conditions are too extreme for them to survive. There are circa 1300 species (Taylor & Tuttle 2019) across the world and Britain is home to 18 species (Bat Conservation Trust).

Bats need a place to rest/sleep and this comes in the form of roosts. They will rest in roosts during the day, sometimes alone but more often in groups. Under natural conditions these roosts are most commonly in trees and in caves but as humans have eroded the bat’s natural habitat, they have adapted to roosting in and around other human-made structures e.g. within buildings and under bridges.

I live in a terraced street in the middle of a large city but one of the things I cherish about where I live is that there are some great green spaces very nearby. My nearest park is Lightoaks Park just at the end of my street. This is a beautiful park with tall mature trees and a duck pond in the middle.

It’s the perfect place to see bats. Until last night, I had never gone out to look for them. Largely because walking round a park, alone, as darkness approaches is probably not the wisest decision in any city. However, there seems to be peace that has descended with isolation. There are less people about, it feels safer and with limited options on how to connect with nature at this time – I took my opportunity.

Last night, armed with a very simple bat detector, I headed out at about 20:50 just as the sun was disappearing. As I entered the park, my detector set to translate any echolocation pulses, I heard them loud and clear.

When I listen to their calls, it gives me a sense of being in their world. Common pipistrelles (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) are small (approx. 5g), fast, agile flyers. Its often challenging, as day light is diminishing, to spot bats just with your eye. Hearing their echolocation allows me to tune in with both my eyes and ears and it’s magical.

Ref: Taylor M & Tuttle M.D (2019) Bats: An Illustrated Guide to All Species. London: Ivy Press