Galway City Bat Walk

On the 22nd of August myself and Mary from the Swan Rescue went on the annual Galway City Bat Walk with the Galway Bat Group, who are part of Bat Conservation Ireland.
We met up at 9 pm, when it was starting to get dark, and were given bat detectors so we could hear all the different bat calls.
We were able to detect 4 different species of bats around the city - The common pipistrelle, soprano pipistrelle, Leisler's bat and Daubenton's bat.
These are four of the 10 bat species found in Ireland, the other six being the Nathusius' Pipistrelle, the Brown Long-eared bat, the Natterer's Bat, the Whiskered Bat, the Lesser Horseshoe Bat and Brandt's Bat.

Common Pipistrelle (© Hugh Clark)

Soprano Pipistrelle (© Hugh Clark)

Leisler's (© Hugh Clark)

Daubenton's (© Hugh Clark)

The Common and Soprano Pipistrelle are the smallest of the Irish bats (between 5 and 6 grams) and they feed on midges, mosquitoes and tiny moths.
The Leisler's is the biggest of the Irish bats and feeds on dung flies and beetles. It flies higher than the other bats and is quite rare in the rest of Europe, but is relatively common in Ireland, making the Irish population of international importance.
The Daubenton's is closely associated with water. It flies just above the surface, catching caddisflies, mayflies and midges. It may use it's large feet to catch prey and can even swim if they fall into the water.

It was really exciting to be able to hear their calls through the detectors and to catch glimpses of their silhouettes as we walked along the river banks and canals. We even spotted one of the city's large herons hunting in the river.

It was a fabulous event and one which I look forward to attending next year!

For more information on bat conservation in Ireland: http://www.batconservationireland.org/
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Images courtesy of the Bat Conservation Trust UK
In the UK? Need help with a bat? Call: 0845 1300 228