27-09-11 : Dorich House Bat Watch

A group of staff, students and local residents gathered at Dorich House on a warm September evening for a bat watch in the orchard...

Local wildlife expert Alison Fure, who has specialised in bat ecology for many years, was our guide as we watched a thrilling display from two species of Pipistrelle - the common Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) and the soprano Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pygmaeus).

Armed with bat detectors, we listened to the Pipistrelle's distinctive 'plopping' sounds, interspersed with their feeding 'buzzes'. And because the bats emerged so soon after sunset, the sky was still quite bright and we could clearly see the distinctive silhouettes of the bats flying above our head.

 

Hopefully there were not too many sore necks from spending the evening staring skyward...

Bruce managed to catch this great video of one of the bats... you can even hear its echolocation from the bat detectors.

Thanks to everyone who came along on the day, to Alison our guide and to the bats who put on a perfect display for us!