Bats are shy and unobtrusive animals, seen only in the dim light at dusk. Their wings make them look bigger than they really are, and as they swoop down after insects, people may sometimes feel uneasy. Just not knowing much about them leads to misconceptions.
To dispelling a couple of the most common myths about bats; Bats are not blind – they actually have good eyesight; and, bats will not drink your blood, - well at least the ones we get in Northern Ireland don’t!
You can identify bats by using bat detectors which convert the high pitched calls of the bats used for echo location, to a lower frequency audible to humans. Each species calls at a particular range of frequencies, making various noises described as ‘smacks’, ‘slaps’, ‘clicks’ and ‘ticks’. By reading the frequency on the detector, and listening to their calls, the species of bat can be identified.
Bats are one of those creatures that probably everyone has seen, but about which we know very little. Watch out for our local bat nights to find out more about these mysterious creatures.