When most of us are tucked up in our beds, a different world takes over outside and many creatures, including most UK mammals, become more active.
Compared to the creatures that have evolved to thrive in this dark arena, our limited vision fails us and other senses rush in to try to comprehend our surroundings. This makes wildlife-spotting at night such a thrilling experience. So why not join us at one of our many evening events this summer?
Glow-worms – if we’re lucky!
Tuesday 26th June, 9.45pm until late, Tarka Trail, Yelland
A walk along a stretch of this old railway line looking for the lights of glow-worms in the grassy verges.
Glow-worms, bats and nightjars
Thursday 28th June, 8.30 – 11pm, Devon Wildlife Trust’s Bystock Nature Reserve, near Exmouth
Join DWT’s Ian Chadwick for an evening searching for glow-worms, bats and nightjars.
Glow-worms alight
Saturday 7th July, 9pm – midnight, Cookworthy Forest Centre, near Halwill Junction
Search for glow-worms and moths with DWT’s Working Wetlands staff.
Bats at Bystock
Wednesday 1st and Thursday 2nd August, 8.30 – 10.30pm, Bystock Nature Reserve
Join Ian Chadwick, DWT Nature Reserves Officer, for a walk around Bystock nature reserve to discover which bats can be found there.
Dartmoor after dark
Saturday 11th August, 9pm – midnight, Trendlebere Down, near Bovey Tracey
Walk over Trendlebere Down as night falls. Watch and hear the evening animals such as nightjars and bats. Visit the ‘new Grimpen Mire’.
Bats in the house
Tuesday 14th August, 8pm, Poltimore, near Exeter
Who lives in a house like this? Batty walk at historic Poltimore house and grounds.
Bats & moths evening – part 1
Tuesday 14th August, 8.30pm – late, Broadeford Farm, Near Braunton
An evening with bat detectors and moth light-traps.
Bats & moths evening – part 2
Tuesday 21st August, 8pm – late, Higher Bumsley, near Parracombe, Exmoor
A second evening with bat detectors and moth light-traps.
South Brent Bats
Thursday 23rd August, 8 – 9.30pm, South Brent
Explore Brent Island, the river and nearby houses for sounds and signs of bats with a licensed bat expert.
For further details of any of these events please follow the links above, call 01392 279244 or email contactus@devonwildlifetrust.org
Safety tips for wildlife spotting at night
Go carefully – take a torch and a fully-charged mobile phone and wear warm, waterproof clothing and suitable boots that can withstand uneven and wet ground. With limited vision you are less likely to spot any potential hazards so it is worth visiting an area that you are already familiar with in daylight.
Stick to public rights of way or get the landowner’s permission to use the land. Take a friend along with you. If that isn’t possible, make sure that you tell someone exactly where you are going before you set out.
Finally, if you are driving and parking, don’t leave any valuables in your car.
‘To be honest I can’t remember how I first became aware that Devon Wildlife Trust was needing volunteer millers – perhaps it was from an open-day, because if I had heard that the mill was open I would certainly have gone in for a snoop. Why? Because I am thrilled by cogs and alternative forms of energy – what they have at Cricklepit Mill is a neat combination of both my fixations.