Last night we ran our first Bat event of the year with Crispin from the Sussex Bat Group. It is always a bit of a worry with any guided walk ‘what if we don’t find what we are looking for’, and at night you can sometimes be limited with alternatives!
However, last night I needn’t have worried, as the bats were out as soon as we entered the heath – a couple of pipistrelles delighted us with their characteristic ‘feeding buzz’ over the bat detectors. If you’ve not heard this before it sounds much like someone blowing a raspberry! As we carried on around the heath, with more pipistrelles, a few noctules, and a tawny owl too putting in an appearance – my thoughts turned to another nocturnal creature…
Standing at the back of the group with Chris, one of our volunteers, we both commented that wouldn’t it be great to hear the first nightjar of the year, and that they were due anytime now – then right on cue, in the distance on the other side of the heath, came the faint but wonderful sound we had both been waiting for. Now I can only describe the ‘churring’ of the male nightjar as a strange, mechanical, whirring sound.
I excitedly got the groups attention and tried to explain to those who had never heard a nightjar what they were listening for, with not quite everyone convinced, we decided to hurry on and get a bit closer to the sound. At last everybody could hear the ‘fabled goatsucker’ (an old wives tale believed that nightjars stole the milk from goats!).
Now, fingers crossed that the bats, owls and nightjars continue to perform for the rest of our nocturnal events over the coming months, details of which can be found here.