I can hear the bats!!!

[Headfry]

It's true!
Saw the first bat of the season last night, so tonight I have set up my Christmas gift from Mr HF - A bat detector..... and I CAN HEAR THEM!!!! and another its fantastic. I can hear a kind of chattering when the bats come close, I just have to learn how to tell the types apart - me thinks that will take loads of practice - happy days. It's a wonderful gift as I spend most summer evenings at dusk sat on the garden bench listening and watching the village close down for the night. My kind of heaven.

[Jeanied]

HF if it is a pipistrelle it is between 45 and 55 mhtz. My batbox battery is dead otherwise I would be out there listening too!

[ginger ninger]

We have pipistrelle's, we've been watching them tonight, it's been really mild so we decided to have our evening meal outside, we had company tonight and they thought it was great that we had bat's.

[Headfry]

Jeanied thank you so much for that - it was about 50 mhtz! its great to know what I have seen, to be able to put a name to my fleeting black bat shapes is lovely.

Evening Ginger ninger, supper in the garden how lovely is that! I was on the plot digging until dusk. Then out on my bench, Mr HF brought me out a mug of coffee.
I love eating out in the garden - breakfast, lunch, dinner/supper, reacon I would sleep out there if I could keep warm enough

[Jeanied]

What you have at the moment are solitary bats - desperate to feed up after a long winter. By the end of May you will get the girls getting together for their maternity roost and then all the excitement begins!!!

[Headfry]

What a great way to spend an evening - talking bats
I have two bat boxes that we put up last year after noticing that a bat was going into a small slot in the eves where the chimney joins the roof. It only ever seems to be just the one bat, I wait for ages at dusk just to see it leave. I have noticed it for the past three years now, I am not sure if it would be the same bat or not?
Might just have to nip outside for another wee listen before bed time!

[Jeanied]

If it is on its own, Headfry it is likely to be a boy - the girls hang out together. They mate in the autumn but delay impregnation until the weather gets a bit better in spring - how clever is that?!!!

[aud]

We have pip and long eared that nest in the eaves of an out house, the window is always left open (also the swallows nest in there in the summer) On an evening you can see them fly out, we have counted around 90. but i am sure there are more. Somewhere i have a note on what they feed on. scattered over the floor you can find wings of insects.

[Jeanied]

Aud, the pips eat midges, bless them - and moths. Bat poo is just crumbly dust of insect chitin. If you have 90 pips between May and August you have a maternity roost on your hands. How wonderful. Long eareds are too rare for me to know much about... but Nicos is becoming an expert.

[Headfry]

Oooooh aud you are so lucky, I would love that!
Went out last night but it was bitter and very windy, I did not 'hear' or see any- Jeanied would they come out when the weather is bad? You know so much about bats, where did you learn from, are there any good (easy) bat books on the market?

[Jeanied]

Hi Headfry - bats don't come out if it is cold. They have to warm up before they can fly. Trouble is, this time of year they are needing to build up their body fat reserves because they have used them all up in hibernation. It will be a bit of a race against time for them while the weather is so iffy.
My late husband was a licensed bat worker, and I will dig around to find the title of his favourite bat book which I think would fit the bill, Headfry.

[Headfry]

Thank you so much Jeanied, I really love the bats.
I live in a small village with lots of lovely people around me. I have mentioned that I was given a bat detector for Christmas to a few very trusted neighbours who love nature, and wont cart me off to the funny farm--- funny thing is most are really interested and want to come and hear the bats! fantastic.
So I am clearly not alone in my 'batty'ness' a bit of a little lots of

[Nicos]

How fantastic!!!!

( hmmm...me thinks my OH might be needing an early birthday pressie!!!)..is 6 months early too soon???

[Headfry]

Nope, best time is now!

[Nicos]

I'm going to have to ask you now!!!

Go on - what make is yours- and where did you get it from???