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Blast from the past: Bat watching then and now

Dale Sutton/2020vision

Back in the 1990s, Lapwing magazine encouraged readers to look more closely at bats darting through the dusk sky. From tiny pipistrelles to sleek noctules, these night-time hunters captured imaginations across our region. Decades later, bat walks, monitoring and conservation work are helping us better understand and protect these fascinating mammals.

Then: Enthusiasm takes flight

In the early 1990s, Lapwing shone a spotlight on one of our most mysterious mammals: bats. At the time, seven British species were recorded across our region, ranging from the tiny pipistrelle — weighing as little as a 2p coin — to the noctule, our largest bat, with a wingspan of nearly half a metre.

Naturalist Stephen Bradley captured the excitement of watching Daubenton’s bats hunting over water, their wings skimming the surface as they scooped up insects with pinpoint accuracy. For many readers, it was the first time bats were described not as spooky silhouettes but as skilled hunters, perfectly adapted to life after dark.

This rising interest helped spark the growth of local bat groups. Across Lancashire and Merseyside, volunteers began surveying roosts, rescuing injured animals, and using early bat detectors to tune into the ultrasonic world that had always been hidden to human ears. Their work was crucial at a time when bats were under serious pressure from roost disturbance, pesticides, and loss of old buildings and trees.

Most people have seen a bat, but usually only a fleeting glimpse as it flies past at dusk. This often raises questions about what sort of bat it was, where it has come from, and what it is doing.
Stephen Bradley

In Lapwing's words

Old bat article from Lapwing

Bat article from 90's Lapwing membership magazine

Looking back at the original Lapwing feature, Stephen Bradley’s article captured the spirit of bat enthusiasm in the early 1990s. It was written to encourage curiosity, combining natural history with practical advice so anyone could head out and experience bats for themselves.

The piece highlighted how common pipistrelles could often be seen close to homes and gardens, while Daubenton’s bats skimmed ponds and canals in pursuit of insects. It painted bats not as shadowy mysteries, but as fascinating, observable creatures that anyone could enjoy watching with just a torch and a little patience.

 

Shining a torch over a pond, canal or stream will often reveal them flying to and fro, only a few inches above the water with shallow, wheeling flights.
Stephen Bradley
A common pipistrelle bat resting on a slate roof tile

Tom Marshall

Daubenton's Bat

(c) Dale Sutton/2020VISION

Image shows a noctule bat sitting on some rough tree bark

WildNet - Tom Marshall

Now: From mystery to monitoring

A bat detector turned on listening for bat echolocation

A bat detector by Lucy Coxhead

Fast-forward three decades, and our knowledge of bats has expanded enormously.

  • Community science – volunteers now play a key role in national monitoring programmes, contributing thousands of records every year.
  • Public engagement – bat walks at our reserves regularly sell out, with families thrilled to hear pipistrelles and noctules “chattering” through handheld detectors.
  • Conservation wins – stronger legislation now protects all bat species in the UK, making it illegal to disturb or destroy their roosts.

One of the biggest game-changers has been the rise of bat detectors. Once specialist kit, they are now a regular feature on guided walks, translating ultrasonic calls into sounds we can hear. They allow people to identify different species by ear, turning an evening stroll into a real-time encounter with the hidden world of bats.

Yet bats still face challenges. Streetlighting and floodlighting can disrupt their feeding routes. Insect declines mean less food to sustain them. And modern buildings often lack the nooks and crannies bats need to roost. These pressures remind us that while progress has been made, protecting bats requires constant effort and vigilance.

Why bats matter today

Lorna Bennett looking up a tree into a bat box, checking for signs of roosting

Lorna Bennett checking bat boxes for signs of roosting by Lucy Coxhead

Bats may be small, but their role is mighty. A single pipistrelle can eat over 3,000 insects in one night — including midges and mosquitoes. By keeping insect numbers in check, bats support balance in ecosystems and reduce the need for chemical pest control.

They are also bioindicators: their presence signals healthy habitats rich in insects, water quality, and old-growth trees. When bats disappear, it’s often a warning sign that wider ecosystems are under strain.

💡 Did you know? A maternity roost of 100 female pipistrelles can consume up to 300,000 insects in a single night.

Looking to the future

Wooden bat hibernaculum surrounded by trees

Bat hibernaculum at Mere Sands Wood, by Martin Oldham

Today, bat groups continue to grow in strength, supported by advances in technology that would have amazed naturalists of the 1990s. From full-spectrum acoustic monitoring to night-vision cameras, we can now study bats in ways that were once impossible.

At Mere Sands Wood, specially designed hibernacula provide safe winter shelters for bats, ensuring these remarkable creatures have somewhere secure to roost during the colder months.

Hibernacula provide stable, undisturbed conditions for bats during their winter hibernation.

But bats remain as captivating as ever. A child’s first encounter with a pipistrelle through a bat detector brings the same thrill as readers felt when Lapwing first encouraged them to look up at dusk three decades ago.

Grey-long eared bat

© Rudo Jureček CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/

Get involved

That sense of wonder is something we can all share — and you don’t have to wait for a bat walk to play your part. By creating bat-friendly spaces at home, you can give these night-time hunters a helping hand.

Leave gaps in fences for flight paths, plant night-scented flowers for insects, or put up a bat box to offer a safe roost. Every small action adds up to a big difference for bats across our region.

Discover how to make your space bat-friendly

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