PAST EVENTS

An amazing 42 individuals joined us to gain knowledge about the bats of Brambleside and Weekley Hall Wood. 

Following registration, Adam delivered a presentation on bats and their ecology, showcasing the contrasting sizes of our largest and smallest bats - the Noctule and Soprano Pipistrelle respectively. To illustrate this, he brought along life-size models that accurately represented both the size and weight of these fascinating creatures. The group then embarked on a journey through Brambleside towards Weekley Hall Wood, with participants posing questions about bats along the way and forming new connections with one another. 

As if on cue, the first bat swooped by as we arrived at 'Bat Corner', followed closely by many more. The Pipistrelles (mostly Common Pips, but also a few Sopranos) gracefully flew alongside linear features towards our excited group of bat enthusiasts. Our heterodyne detectors were certainly put to good use - in total, we recorded an impressive count of 78 bat passes! Further enquiries were addressed as the bats captivated the crowd before bidding farewell for the evening. 

On the very night that the Bat Conservation Trust released its updated report on ALAN (Artificial Light at Night) and its impact on bats, we visited Kettering Library to host the third leg of our Bats Rock! tour of Kettering. 

Sixteen individuals joined us to listen and observe for bats, but the evening began with an impressive show by a family of Peregrines nesting in the nearby church. Four young birds were attentively cared for by their parents as sunset approached, and we patiently awaited the appearance of bats. As predicted, bat numbers were low - in fact, we only spotted two bats - but they put on an impressive performance! 

The buildings and trees surrounding the library have recently undergone significant renovations, resulting in well-lit surroundings for safety purposes. Perhaps this factor, combined with the presence of nearby Peregrines, contributes to the lower bat population? 

This certainly gives us something to consider, and Kettering Nature Group plans to revisit this area in the future to monitor any changes in bat activity.

We covered quadrat surveying, meadow plant ID, sweep netting and other invertebrate sampling techniques, small mammal surveying and bat detecting - with the bats putting on a magnificent display for us yet again!

Thank you to everyone for coming along.

 We hope you left feeling inspired.

This tiny (2.5mm long) Pointed-keeled Rhyzobius ladybird was found by sweep netting of vegetation by newcomers to the Kettering Nature Group on last nights Invertebrate Evening.

As well as the Pointed-keeled Rhyzobius, we also found 17 Bishop's mitre shieldbugs, 1 x 16 spot ladybird, 5 x Malachite beetles, various grasshoppers, crickets, spiders, caterpillars and many, many flies. Plus a whole plethora of invertebrates which were caught and released rather than collected for identification.

Not bad for a few people who have never seen a sweep net before, never mind used one!

All of the invertebrates collected for ID were returned to the field very early this morning after photographing.

We had a great night last night, sharing our love for nature with everyone who joined us for our Sunset Nature Walk.

We heard and saw lots of Common Pipistrelles, set mammal tracking devices and a moth trap (which caught some real beauties - I'll share in a post later, so watch out for that!), went for a lovely walk though the dark woods to 'torch for newts' in numerous water bodies. 

We recorded 2 Female and 1 male Great crested newt, and another possible female, but she was too far away to positively ID. 

Numerous Smooth newts, Water beetles, Tadpoles, Ground beetles, slugs, Snails, Centipedes and a whole plethora of other wonders.

We found evidence of what we think is Badgers digging for Bee larvae, and lots and lots of mammal tracks and prints.

All in all, a very successful and enjoyable evening with great company.

Thank you to everyone for coming out. I hope you found it informative and fun.