Bat Night at The Heath

Energy Garden sent out the Bat Signal, and our community answered!

Ellen, Energy Garden’s Biodiversity Lead here to tell you about a very special evening of bat surveying held near our Hampstead Heath Energy Garden.  

On 16th October, twenty people from the Energy Garden community got together to observe bats in the heath.  Bat detectors and information sheets were on hand to guide these participants as they searched for some of London’s bat species like Pipistrelles and Daubentons.  

To begin the evening, the group strolled from the Hampstead Heath Energy Garden towards a prime bat observation spot between the two ponds on the Southwest Corner of the heath. We started off with some Bat Trivia to familiarize the group with bats. We covered topics like bat species diversity, feeding habits, hibernation, and more.   

Then it was time to distribute the bat detectors and demonstrate to the participants how to use them.  Then everyone was set loose, looking and listening out for the bats. Just as the sun set, the detectors became abuzz with calls from Pipistrelles and Daubentons. The group was particularly enthralled by the way Daubentons skim the water's surface with their large hairy feet to feed. There were also beautiful birds to observe in the nearby wooded area and ponds. 

Overall, it was a great introduction to bat surveying for Energy Garden and there will be more to come once the bats become active again in the spring.  

I am really looking forward to organising more biodiversity-focused sessions. Check out our events page to see what’s coming up.

– Ellen