I can hear the bats!!!

[Headfry]

Hi Nicos, I will check when I get home (could be tomorrow before I get back to you)
It is bright green with headphones! wish I could use it tonight but have sailing club committee meeting to attend.....hmmmm thinks HF, wonder if we get bats at the club? naughty HF, focus please!

[Headfry]

Morning Nicos- it's a Mini 3 bat detector - bright green! its easy and works, in fact it's got the BBC wildlife's 'best buy' stamp
Happy listening

[Nicos]

Thanks- will look into it!

[Headfry]

Have just spoken to Mr HF he said he got it from Alana Ecology web site

Alana Ecology: Wildlife, Nature Conservation and Field Equipment

hope that works ok - I am useless at putting on links - sorry

[aud]

sorry i meant the name of the insect and moth they like the most.
and you are right about the poo, its dusty.
We havent seen they as yet this year but then i havent been looking so you never know.

[SueA]

I've not seen our pipistrelles yet but I've only looked out on the last few nights as it's been warming up. We only ever seem to see 2 at any one time though so I'm not sure if it's worth getting a bat detector but I would love to be able to hear them. Maybe I should ask for one for my birthday too, I could always take it out to the park near us as there are supposed to be bats there as well!

[Mac]

Hey all...we are starting to get our bats flying around at nights too. We had a maternity roost in our loft in the last house we lived in. I wouldn't haven minded, but they managed to find a way of getting into the chimney, out the fireplace, and fly round the house! Bats are great outdoors, but rubbish flying around your bedroom when you're in bed!!!! WE got the "bat people" out who brought their bat detector so we could listen to them as they came out of the house and flew around! Was a very cool experience all round

[Jeanied]

Here we are, Headfry my OH's fave bat book for beginners...
Bats by Phil Richardson

The Natural History Museum
ISBN 978 0 565 091 675
And if you are interested in a more scholarly paper about echolocation pm me!

[Headfry]

Thanks Jeanied that's great- I shall try and track down a copy.
Did not hear/see any last night, starting to worry for them,as thats now 3 nights in a row. Do they go back into a sort of shallow hibernation?

[Jeanied]

They have different roosts that they use, depending on the weather, Headfry. It has been that bit colder over the last few nights so maybe they have popped back to a warmer roost for another spell. Trouble is, things could get a bit urgent: the warm weather may have lulled the females into a false sense of security - that's when they allow themselves to get pregnant having delayed all winter. They will need the feed if they are preggers!