There are few things in life as exciting as creeping around the woods at night with a torch in one hand and a bat detector in the other.
On Saturday evening I found myself doing exactly that - joined by a group of very brave children and their parents as we explored Strumpshaw Fen looking for bats. The children all had a go at using the bat detectors and it wasn't long before they were experts at picking up the hunting calls of pipistrelle bats. We had great views of common and soprano pipistrelles swooping overhead among the treetops.
Of course, bats aren't the only creatures that come out at night - the children dissected some barn owl pellets to discover what the Strumpshaw owls had eaten for lunch. Callum and Ollie (pictured) found the skulls of voles and shrews, as well as their tiny thigh bones and ribs. Gruesome but fascinating! Later in the evening we had some unexpected surprises when a tawny owl hooted in the woods, a warty toad appeared on the path, and a glow worm glimmered in the undergrowth! We returned back to the glow of the moth trap and discovered an abundance of moths, including a huge poplar hawkmoth and some very pretty yellow underwings.
If you've never been on a nocturnal wildlife walk - now is the time to do it. The nights are drawing in earlier, the bats are still active, and there are plenty of moths still on the wing.
Over the next few weeks we have several more bat and moth events at Strumpshaw Fen and Surlingham Church Marsh - click here for details - and don't forget to book early as they're very popular!