PINGLE BRINGS OUT MOTHS, BATS & PEOPLE.

The annual moth & bat evening escaped the rain despite heavy rainfall in New York just three miles away!
Approximately 40 people attended the evening including 21 students of various ages.
Many species of moth (32) were recorded making their way to Tony Ludlow’s mercury-vapour trap.
The bright ultra-violet light lured a good selection of large and small moth which were identified by Toby and his willing helpers. These included the small magpie with its distinctive black/white, the snout moth span, plus the swallow-tailed bright pink elephant hawk-moth with a 4” wing span and a pale yellow swallow-tailed moth with a 3” wing span.
While this was in progress other visitors walked along the Pingle with Roger Parsons using a bat detector to listen in on the noise of hunting bats. Feeding bats were seen and heard across the area, often up to three at a time.
The detector changed their ultrasonic clicks, known as echolocation, to sounds everyone could hear. It was even possible to tell when an insect was being caught by the distinctive change of sound. Most people stayed for an hour or two with the last enthusiasts heading homeward at about 11.30pm.
Chairman of the Friends of the Pingle Roger Parsons said “We would like to thank all who attended for their very welcome support. This is just the kind of activity we like to see on this small but special local nature reserve.There is not much wild space left within the village and we need to preserve what we have and make the most of it. We welcome every bit of help people can give to help us keep the area tidy, litter free and well-used.”