We gathered with anticipation as the light dimmed on the Moor on Friday evening. Our guide for the night was Adam Linnet from the Cheshire Wildlife Trust, who would take us on an adventure through the fascinating world of bats and moths. Adam briefed us, equipped us with bat detectors, and led us to the tranquil Moor Pool for the bat hunt.
We were enthralled by the weird clicking and slapping noises from the detectors as the bats chased and caught their prey in front of us. Every so often, we glimpsed one emerge from the shadows, swooping across a bright patch of water or flitting overhead, which triggered quiet whoops of delight from the audience.
From the echolocation frequencies we identified two species: Daubenton’s and Soprano Pipistrelle.
Adam was an informative guide. Among the facts we learned were the following:
- Contrary to the popular belief, bats are not blind; they possess exceptional eyesight adapted for low-light conditions, although they rely primarily on echolocation to catch their prey.
- Knowing the population size is difficult because their roosts are hard to find.
- Bats mate in the autumn, and the females carry the sperm over winter to release it to their ovaries in spring. In the summer, they gather together to form maternity roosts.
After a happy hour or so, we left the Moor and wandered up to the Orchard, where Adam had set up a moth trap for us.
Together with Dave Maddy, the County Moth Recorder, Adam gave us more interesting information and retrieved handfuls of moths to show.
Dave identified the nineteen species listed below.
| Common Name | Taxon |
|---|---|
| Brimstone Moth | Opisthograptis luteolata |
| Centre-barred Sallow | Atethmia centrago |
| Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrix | Pandemis corylana |
| Common Carpet | Epirrhoe alternata |
| Common Marbled Carpet | Dysstroma truncata |
| Copper Underwing agg. | Amphipyra pyramidea agg. |
| Dusky Thorn | Ennomos fuscantaria |
| Flame Carpet | Xanthorhoe designata |
| Flame Shoulder | Ochropleura plecta |
| Green Carpet | Colostygia pectinataria |
| Iron Prominent | Notodonta dromedarius |
| Large Yellow Underwing | Noctua pronuba |
| Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing | Noctua janthe |
| Mother of Pearl | Patania ruralis |
| Sallow | Cirrhia icteritia |
| Setaceous Hebrew Character | Xestia c-nigrum |
| Small Phoenix | Ecliptopera silaceata |
| Snout | Hypena proboscidalis |
| Square-spot Rustic | Xestia xanthographa |
Among the many moth facts, we learned:
- The UK has about 2,500 species, of which almost 1,000 have been found in Cheshire.
- Moths are more efficient pollinators than bees. Therefore, we should plant fragrant flowers in our gardens to attract them at night.
- It is thought that moths, like other insects, fly toward lamps because they naturally orientate themselves by light from the sky, keeping the light source at a constant angle to their eyes. So, when a moth on the wing sees a light bulb, it will constantly turn inwards to keep itself at a constant angle to the artificial light, ending up in a spiralling path, eventually colliding with the bulb. We take advantage of this phenomenon to trap moths for identification. However, we should take care to turn down or switch off our outdoor lights when they’re not needed so as not to divert moths from their normal behaviour.
Everyone enjoyed the balmy late-summer evening and departed as the moon rose in the sky.
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