The evenings are drawing in, and the the shops full of Halloween goodies but at Greenhavens we are more interested in the real creatures of the night!

Vicki tells us more about the bat blitz evening on Castle Hill, Newhaven!

“It was a great night of exploring and observing. Our fantastic bat expert, Jess, talked us through what we might see and hear in detail. We used Bat detectors to find them via their high pitched squeaks. We also had a moth expert in our group and we found lots of species of moth on our walk too.

It was fascinating looking at an area I regularly go to but it’s very different seeing it at night. When we got to the top of the Fort and looked down onto Newhaven it was easy to see why the wildlife are struggling to survive. You only have to look at the mass of light pollution, and buildings surrounded by other buildings – their hunting ground is disappearing. However some bat species do seem to be doing ok and actually go to the urban areas to eat the moths that are attracted to the great big floodlights.

Observing and getting involved is VITAL. The more people that are aware of the nature on their doorstep and appreciate it, the more we can all live in one space together. This could be by putting up bat boxes, and planting pollinator friendly plants for example.

Keep up the good work Greenhavens!!!”

Vicki Ashley

Greenhavens would like to second that. It is vital that we all observe and record the wildlife in our area, and events like this are so important. You don’t have to wait for special events though, we can all get outside and learn to record what we can see. You can find out more about how to report your findings at the Sussex Biodiversity Record Centre here. You can even register for an Open University Course to become a citizen scientist! Do let us know how you get on!

Check our 10 magical moths for Halloween with Butterfly conservation!

You can also read more about moth trapping in our recent blog

Or check out these very frightening fungus!

Finally if you would like to encourage bats to your garden, here’s how to make a bat box!

Happy wildlife spotting and Happy Halloween!