I was out in the park this evening carrying out a bat survey. It was a warm humid evening, however as 10.30 got closer a cool mist began to gather in the Len Valley and the Long Valley.
My walk started in front of Mote House where a Little Owl was watched hunting. As dusk approached I moved to the area of parkland south of the house, where 1 Soprano and 2 Common Pipistrelles were seen, and 3 Noctules were also noted. Because of the Noctules habit of flying out in the open they soon attracted the attention of a Hobby - the first recorded this year - which, after several attempts, managed to catch 1 of the Noctules for supper. A fox was seen dashing across the path in front of the house and a Tawny Owl could be heard calling from the Yew trees behind Mote House.
The Weir and Causeway were the next stop where Soprano and Common 'Pips' were spotted, and they continued to be seen through the grassland areas too.
Down by the Volunteers Pavilion, in the Long Valley, a Noctule was picked up on the detector. The Long Valley always proves to be the best spot for Brown Long-eared Bats, but tonight they were not detected.
Last stop was the Lake, where the large roost of Daubenton's Bats had emerged and were hunting over the Lake catching the low flying insects with their large feet. Overall a super evening!!
On Friday (29/05/09) there is a bat walk in the Park led by Kent Bat Group & Medway Valley Countryside Partnership. For anyone wishing to attend, the walk begins in the main car park by the cafe at 9pm and will probably finish about 11pm.
Hi, my name is Simon. My local patch is Mote Park, one of Kent’s largest parks and right on the edge of Maidstone, the county town of Kent. It is a former country estate, and records of the Park date back since before the 14th century. The park has a variety of habitats and this blog will note all the wildlife that I encounter in them.
2 comments:
Have you got your own bat detector Simon? I must get out more in the evenings!
Yes, I have got my own bat detector.
Post a Comment