BAT AND MOTH EVENING AT SWAN PARK

Photo: George McDermott talks about the importance of having a healthy moth population around the peninsula.

Few people see live bats even though they make up about a quarter of all land mammals in Ireland. Too redress this balance Emmet Johnson, the Inishowen Wildlife Ranger, held a bat spotting evening in Swan Park, Buncrana last week. As night fell, the crowd shone their torches into the dark hoping to see the night creatures swooping down to catch their prey of midges and moths.

“Bats can be misunderstood,” said Emmet. “They are very clean creatures and contrary to popular belief, do not dive down and get tangled in your hair. All bats have fantastic sonar skills and if they can zoom in on an insect 2mm long whilst avoiding obstacles, they can surely avoid people’s hair. The probable reason for the myth is that midges tend to be attracted to people when they are out walking and the bats are going for them”

There are nine species of bat in Ireland (none of them suck your blood!) The largest one, Leisler’s bat has a wingspan up to 300mm and the smallest one called the Pipistrelle (which is the most common) would be small enough to fit into a matchbox. The Pipistrelle eats up to 3000 midges every evening throughout the summer, making them an ideal garden friend.

Bats have a difficulty finding suitable nesting sites. Modern sealed houses, the loss of hedgerows and pesticide spraying are just a few examples of the bats losing their nests and feeding areas. However if we don’t cut down old dead tree stumps and let bats live in the eves, this will help to address the balance”

“If you do have bats in your attic and are not happy having them as houseguests, then wait until they have left the building around the end of this month before you try to seal the gaps” suggests Emmet.

George McDermott the Buncrana town gardener, (who is quickly becoming Inishowen’s butterfly and moth expert), showed us his moth trap which consists of a bright light and a container filled with egg boxes which the moths hide under. The moths are attracted to the light (as they are attracted to the moon).

“Ireland has over 1000 species of moths,” said George. “Many of them are night fliers to avoid predators (apart from bats of course). Most moths are beautifully coloured and these traps allow us to make an accurate assessment of the wide variety we are getting around the peninsula. They are safely released after they have been identified”. For more information check out www.nature.ie

Environmental.