Bat nights at Martin Mere
Each year WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre take on 2 reserve placement students for 1 year who are studying conservation degrees, and they also undertake a project. Amy Sherwin is one of these students and she has undertaken a project to set up regular bat surveys on the reserve. In the UK there are 17 different species of bat, all of which are vulnerable making it vital to monitor their activity to ensure their conservation. Bats are extremely difficult to survey due to their nocturnal activity therefore, detectors are required to detect the echolocation calls that bats produce in order to catch their prey. Historically, surveys done on the reserve have used heterodyne detectors, but these require experience in order to interpret the sounds being produced. The reserves newest bat detector gives us both visual and sound analysis of the bats echolocation calls, and even has to ability to automatically identify bat species making it much easier to carry out a basic survey.
Amy said: “I am currently carrying out regular field surveys in order to 
investigate where bat species are present on the reserve. Field surveys require walking a transect across the reserve and stopping at 12 specific locations while using the detector to search for bat activity. The bat detector also produces a map at the end of the survey, which can be used to see what species are using particular habitat areas of the reserve. We have identified the presence of five different bat species currently using the site including; Soprano Pipistrelle, Common pipistrelle, Noclule, Daubentons and Brown Long eared Bats. This information along with the maps produced should give us a good idea of any specific management that might be required.”
Every Friday night in August, Martin Mere is giving people the opportunity to come on a Bat and Barn Owl BBQ. It’s a 7pm start, till late, searching for bats and barn owls on the reserve after having a bite to eat. The event is £17 per person and you must book in advance by calling 01704 895181.
WWT Martin Mere is open every day from 9.30am to 6pm and parking is free of charge. Situated off the A59, it is signposted from the M61, M58 and M6. The Centre is also accessible via the Southport to Manchester and the Liverpool to Preston line by train from Burscough Rail Stations. Visit the web site http://www.wwt.org.uk/martinmere/ to find out what’s on all year round at Martin Mere and the other eight centres.
