04 Sep Promotion of the Profession: BSG Ecologists lead bat walk at Ditchley Park
BSG Ecology Senior ecologists Jamie Townsend and Jamie Peacock recently led a Summer evening bat walk for staff members of Ditchley Park around the beautiful pleasure grounds of the estate near Charlbury in Oxfordshire.
Jamie and Jamie provided a short introduction to bat ecology before the group, with ultrasonic bat detectors, night vision goggles and thermal imaging cameras embarked on a scenic walking route through some of the estates parkland, woodland and lakeside habitats.
The group were able to observe species such as common pipistrelle, soprano pipistrelle and likely Myotis species bats feeding in the woods and over the lakes.
The Ditchley Park team kindly raised £100 for the Oxfordshire Bat Group, which will help contribute towards bat conservation in the county.
Attendee Martin Smith commented:
“We had an absolutely fantastic twilight bat tour with the Oxfordshire Bat Group and BSG Ecology here at the Ditchley Park estate. The evening built from the thrill of hunting for bats in the woods, with their audio detectors and thermal imaging cameras, to the spectacular finale of seeing a breathtaking number of them flying over the lake. The two guides were wonderfully engaging, and their deep passion for the subject really shone through. It was a highly informative and thoroughly enjoyable experience, and we can’t recommend them enough!”
Senior Ecologist Jamie Townsend said:
“It was a pleasure to talk to such an enthusiastic group about bat ecology and conservation and having the chance to see bats in such a beautiful location.”
Ditchley Park and the BSG Oxford team have agreed to continue their association and to run more bat walks in the future.