When the Sun Goes Down
On a late evening walk through Doorly Park, as the sun goes down, you’re likely to spot some of our local bats flying above your head. But no need to worry, despite some common fears, bats have no interest in getting tangled in your hair!
They will be too busy snacking on invertebrates: one bat can consume thousands of insects in one night!
They love including midges and mosquitos in their diet, so you can think of bats as a helpful and natural pest control system. Insects are often abundant near water courses like the Garavogue, so Doorly Park is a premium foraging spot for these small enigmatic mammals.
Bats like to roost in crevices they find in trees and old buildings, and can fit through gaps less than 2 cm wide.
Bat boxes can be built to provide them with more roosting options. Keep an eye out and you’ll notice some of the bat boxes that have been erected for the local bats along the park.
The areas along the Garavogue have been known to host six of the nine resident bat species in Ireland including the soprano pipistrelle, which is the smallest bat in Ireland, and the Leisler’s bat, the largest.
Bat box on a tree in Doorly Park
Nathusius’ pipistrelle (Irish Bat)
DID YOU KNOW?
Despite some old misconceptions, there are no blind bats!
All bats can see, although some have better vision than others. To help them better navigate and find their food in the dark hours of the night, bats use echolocation: a sonar-like system in which they make high-pitched squeak and listen for their echo as they bounce off objects around them.
These sounds are too high-pitched for our human ears, so special detectors can be used to listen to bats.
How you can help bats at home
Minimise light pollution. Use outdoor light only when and where it is needed and opt for warm-toned lights.
Include night-blooming plants in your garden. Flowers like the fragrant honeysuckle can attract nocturnal insects for bats to feed on.