Our three counties are host to a vast array of nocturnal animals including badgers, hedgehogs, moths, glow worms and of course bats. We have 18 different species of bat in the UK, and as they are most active during summer now is the perfect time to go looking for them. You are likely to spot them on warm, dry days at dusk and dawn when they feed. I recently went on my first bat survey and it made me see a wood that I know quite well very differently.

Walking through a woodland at dusk heightened my senses, engaging me in sounds and movements that I wouldn’t think twice about during the daytime. Birds moving in the canopy above, wind rushing through leaves, flitting moths, a curious fox and even a group of startled geese. I heard the bats before I saw them. The bat detector emitted a series of high pitched squeaks and then I felt a rush of wings above my head. Like tiny shadows they circled at the edge of the trees, snatching up insects from the air and disappearing as quickly as they arrived.