Bats at Frensham Little Pond (National Trust)

Leader: Martyn Phillis (HNHS member)

This was International Bat Night, but the weather could hardly have been less suitable for a bat walk.
Despite the gusty rain, about a dozen hardly souls chose to brave the weather and see if any bats were about.

With no bat activity at the south end, the group retraced its steps to the pines on the west bank and were rewarded with a number of Soprano Pipistrelles. Their echolocation calls were heard clearly on our bat detectors, and several were glimpsed. A lack of feeding calls meant they were perhaps males trying to attract females during the autumn mating season.

Moving to the northern shore revealed more Soprano Pipistrelles hunting over the water’s edge. Feeding buzzes picked up on our detectors showed that they were finding some food on the wing despite the conditions.

As we watched, a few Common Pipistrelles were picked up under the oak trees behind us – a favourite hunting ground for these tiny insectivores.