Nature Conservation Lewisham

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Category Archives: bats


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Bat Walk at Sydenham Wells Park – Friday 26 May 2017, 8.30pm-10pm

Pipistrelle bat © London Wildlife Trust

Join London Wildlife Trust staff and volunteers for our annual bat walk at Sydenham Wells Park. Bat calls are largely undetectable to the human ear and so we will be using bat detectors to listen to the sounds of these wonderful mammals. Bats use sonar or echolocation to hunt for prey during the night, sending sound out into the world around them to create an aural picture of their surroundings. Each bat has a different call from which they can be identified.

Sydenham Wells Park is a remnant of the Great North Wood, an ancient landscape of woods and commons which once stretched from Deptford to Selhurst. There are lots of bats to be seen (and heard) at the Park including noctule, Leisler, common and soprano pipistrelles.

Previous walks at the Park have provided a large number of sightings of bats, but patience is required in the early stages.

If there is heavy rain or thunderstorms the walk will be postponed to a later date.

Meet by the duck pond accessed via the Longton Avenue gate.
Sydenham Wells Park,
Sydenham,
Greater London,
SE26


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Bat Walk with London Wildlife Trust in Crystal Palace Park

Join London Wildlife Trust and learn to identify bats from their ultrasonic calls using bat detectors.

This event is free and open to everyone and there is no need to book.

Contact Sam for more information

2016_09_01 CPP bat walk


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Wild about gardens week 2016

This year WAGW runs 24th-30th October

This year WAGW runs 24th-30th October

(Reproduced from http://www.wildaboutgardensweek.org.uk) 

Wild About Gardens Week 2016 is a joint initiative by the RHS, The Wildlife Trusts and Bat Conservation Trust to encourage people to support wildlife in their gardens

Last year Wild about Gardens Week focused on Hedgehogs.  This year the focus is on our UK bats. This is more important than ever. In 2013, wildlife researchers found that 60 percent of UK animal and plant species have declined in the past 50 years. Among the variety of reasons for this is loss of habitat.

Many of our common garden species – bats, hedgehogs, house sparrows, and common frogs, for example – are becoming much less common. There are an estimated 15 million gardens in the UK. Together they cover a greater area than all the National nature reserves! By making our own gardens and local green spaces more wildlife-friendly, we can help support a wide range of species.

What can you do?

Wild About Gardens Week runs from 24-30 October 2016. This year they’ll be looking at steps we can take to support bats and other wildlife. But don’t wait until October! There are lots of things you can do right now to support wildlife in your garden or community green space.

They’ve created some fantastic resources to help you along the way, from building insect hotels to creating hedgehog highways. There are plenty of fun activities you can do throughout the year to help your local wildlife.

For even more wildlife gardening tips, visit the Wild About Gardens website for ideas on things that can be done in an hour, a day or a weekend. And to be kept in the loop about plans for this year’s Wild About Gardens Week, send them an email and they’ll contact you as soon as there’s more information available.

Follow #WildAboutGardens on Twitter for regular tips on how you can make a difference to the wildlife in your garden. Have a question? Contact them on Facebook or Twitter and they’ll do their best to help.


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Bat walk, Nunhead Cemetery – Friday 24 June 2016, 9pm

Guided bat walk using bat detectors in Nunhead Cemetery led by London Wildlife Trust

Pipistrelle bat © London Wildlife Trust

Pipistrelle bat © London Wildlife Trust

 

Join London Wildlife Trust and the Friends of Nunhead Cemetery for a guided bat walk in this stunning Victorian Cemetery.

Nunhead Cemetery is a Local Nature Reserve with a mixture of secondary woodland of sycamore, ash and naturalised tree species. Managed by the Friends of Nunhead Cemetery in partnership with Southwark Council, the Cemetery is protected as a wildlife haven on the cusp of London.

Using bat detectors to pick up the inaudible calls of bats like common and soprano pipistrelle, Leisler and noctule, we will aim to uncover the nocturnal wildlife of this urban woodland. Bats use sonar or echolocation to navigate through the darkness to hunt moths and other invertebrates. There are a number of misconceptions and myths surrounding bats which we hope to be able to dispel during the walk.

This is a free walk, all are welcome.

Please bring a torch (but do not shine up at bats as this is a nuisance to them), sturdy footwear fit for uneven paths and gentle inclines and clothing suitable for the conditions

Event location

Please meet at the Linden Grove entrance,
Nunhead Cemetery,
Nunhead,
Greater London,
SE15 3NA


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Bat walk at Sydenham Wells Park, Friday 10 June, 8.30pm-10pm

Guided bat walk at Sydenham Wells Park

Pipistrelle bat © London Wildlife Trust

Pipistrelle bat © London Wildlife Trust

Join London Wildlife Trust staff and volunteers for our annual bat walk at Sydenham Wells Park. Bat calls are largely undetectable to the human ear and so we will be using bat detectors to listen to the sounds of these wonderful mammals. Bats use sonar or echolocation to hunt for prey during the night, sending sound out into the world around them to create an aural picture of their surroundings. Each bat has a different call from which they can be identified.

Sydenham Wells Park is a remnant of the Great North Wood, an ancient landscape of woods and commons which once stretched from Deptford to Selhurst. There are lots of bats to be seen (and heard) at the Park including noctule, Leisler, common and soprano pipistrelles.

Previous walks at the Park have provided a large number of sightings of bats, but patience is required in the early stages.

If there is heavy rain or thunderstorms the walk will be postponed to a later date.

Event location

Meet by the duck pond accessed via the Longton Avenue gate.
Sydenham Wells Park,
Sydenham,
Greater London,
SE26


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Bat Events at the Horniman Museum

Family Bat Walk – Friday, 21 August 2015 7pm – 9pm

A late night event focussing on our only flying mammal – the bat. Join our resident bat expert Rhianna Dix for a family friendly bat walk using real bat detectors to find bats in the Horniman Gardens. See a bat skeleton up close and learn how to identify different types of bat. Bat costumes encouraged!

Booking information

Adults £5 each
Children £3 each.

Places are limited. To book please call 020 8291 8686 or 020 8291 8690

Please note that this event is for families with children aged 7 +. 

Please note: There is an additional bat walk for adult audiences happening on Friday 28th August.

This event will be cancelled in the event of very bad weather.

Adult Bat Walk – Friday, 28 August 2015, 7pm-9pm

A late night event focussing on our only flying mammal – the bat. Our Horniman bat expert, Rhianna Dix, will give a short introduction to bats. This will be followed by a bat survey using real bat detectors to find out what species might be living in and around the Horniman Gardens.

This event is part of International Bat Night organised by EUROBATS to celebrate and encourage the conservation of bat species across the world.

Please note that this event is for adults only. If families are interested they should book on to the Family Bat Walk on Friday 21st August

This event will be cancelled in the event of very bad weather.

Booking information

Places must be booked in advance.

£5 per person.  Book online or call 020 8690 for information.