THE importance of bats in the region is set to be explored this month as part of a free talk hosted by the Bruce Creek Landcare Group under the Geelong Landcare Network. <\/p>\n
Lethbridge-based bat enthusiast Grant Baverstock will lead a talk at Teesdale Community Hall all about exploring the role bats play in the local ecosystem. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll talk about some of the species that will occur around the broader Geelong region,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cAfter the talk, we\u2019ll head out and use a bat detector that picks up their calls and we\u2019ll see what\u2019s in one of the reserves which will either be Bakers Lane Reserve or Teesdale Woodland Reserve.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re expecting a max of 25 people but if there\u2019s more interest, we should be able to squeeze in more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Baverstock has been studying bats for nearly 40 years as a self-described citizen scientist, with his interest taking him on field trips with professional bat ecologists after starting out in the Geelong and Otways regions.<\/p>\n
He said the winged creatures of the night play an underappreciated part in the region.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s about 18 species in the Geelong area, two of which are flying foxes, and the remainder are microbats,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cFlying foxes are actually very important in the crosspollination of our native tree species and the microbats are critical in the food chain in that they\u2019re great controllers of insect numbers. <\/p>\n
\u201cMy intention is to make people aware bats are around and how important they are. Humans can\u2019t pick up microbat calls and probably aren\u2019t aware they\u2019re flying just overhead out here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Baverstock\u2019s presentation will run from 7.30pm to 9pm on Saturday 16 March. <\/p>\n