Jim Wilson’s Bat Walk

At 8.00 pm on Wednesday 22nd September, thirty people gathered in Cuskinny Nature Reserve near Cobh for a guided Bat walk with naturalist Jim Wilson. The group included ten very enthusiastic children ranging in age from four to twelve. The children were enthralled as Jim explained how bats live, feed and fly. Jim produced a dried specimen of a Soprano Pipistrelle that had become trapped in fly paper in an attic and died and this was passed along for everyone to have a close up look.

Despite the superb weather and with an almost full moon, there were not many bats flying on the evening. There are five species living in the area and the only bat heard on the Bat detector was a Soprano Pipistrelle. The Cobh Tidy Towns Committee at whose request Jim kindly agreed to hold the walk still considered the walk a success. Those present are now aware of the bats and the importance of them helping to keep insect numbers under control.

There will be further bat walks in the summer of 2011.