Residents of Loves Farm in St Neots are going to ‘bat’ for their furry neighbours in a series of guided night walks that aim to educate residents about bats.

The walks, which are offered by local resident Caroline Jackson, have been taking place throughout the summer and will continue until mid-September.

During the walks this year, three different species of bats have been identified, including the common pipitstrelle, the soprano pipistrelle, and a long eared variety.

Caroline said that she came up with the idea to organise the walks last year because of her interest in bats and an awareness that many Loves Farm residents did not know a lot about them.

‘The bats at Loves Farm were living here before we were and when the development first began bat boxes were placed around the site to ensure existing colonies remained and new colonies would be encouraged to roost’.

‘Sadly, a lot of those boxes have been vandalised or destroyed, so this has reduced the available habitats for these amazing creatures.’

‘That was why I wanted to start doing the bat walks.  I wanted to help people to understand more about the bats and to learn about why they are so rare.  If people have an opportunity to see what wonderful creatures they are, hopefully they will be much safer on Loves Farm.’

Caroline takes interested residents out on the bat walks on a monthly basis, using torches and a bat detector to see and hear the bats.  She also offers information on their habitat, diet and the threats bats face, providing a guide to how people can protect them and encourage them to remain in the area.

‘Bats were once far more common in the UK, but because a lot of their habitats have been destroyed, they are now a legally protected species,’ she said.

‘The bat walks have been hugely successful and more than 50 residents so far have come along to learn about these amazing creatures.’

Caroline has two more bat walks planned over the forthcoming months, with the final one taking place in September.  For more information on the bat walks visit the bpha website: www.bpha.org.uk