Dusk bat walk being held near Market Drayton
A wildlife group will host a dusk bat walk near Market Drayton next week.
Led by the Staffordshire Mammal Group's chair Derek Crawley, the walk will take place at Betton and Oakley on Thursday, August 1.
It is being organised by the Betton and Norton Wildlife Group.
It will be open to all free to attend, though donations to the Staffordshire Mammal Group will be welcomed.
There are more than five known species of protected bats in the area of Betton and Oakley including the common pipistrelle, Daubenton’s bat, the brown long-eared bat, noctule and the soprano pipistrelle.
Declines
Derek Crawley said: "In celebration of the rich biodiversity of the local area and recent sightings of several protected bat species, I will be leading a bat walk for the enjoyment of the local community.
"We are lucky enough to have 18 species of bat in the UK, 17 of which are known to be breeding here – that's almost a quarter of our mammal species. Bats are an indication of the state of our planet and sadly, bat populations have suffered severe declines during the past century.
"We hope this walk will inspire the local residents to connect with their landscape and enjoy and celebrate the great variety of species that live within it, plus send in their records of bats they see in the local area in the future for data networks and conservation."
Email ahead for confirmation of timings and meeting points as dusk changes. Contact bettonnortonwildlife@gmail.com for more information, or visit www.facebook.com/bettonnortonwildlife/
