On Friday 13th of May, I took a class, with another teacher, on a family Bat Tour evening. The class had been studying bats and are making Bat Houses for the school, a local gully, the council and a family that generously donated some Gum stumps for us to make 2 of the Bat Houses out of.
The tour started with some very eager children ready and waiting at a Hammond Park. Robyn was our guide for the evening and she was brilliant. We walked along the boardwalk listening to the Tui and other birds singing in the native trees surrounding the boardwalk.
When we reached our destination, the children had their Bat Detectors out and were picking up the frequency of the bats straight away. The detectors were set to 40h. One of the girls had her cellphone out busily rushing from one detector to the next to record the time, detector and bat sound.
This evening also created great delight for both teachers and parents. Robyn answered all the questions the children wanted to ask and we all learnt some new facts.
On the walk back to the carpark we were shown a path that was covered in the biggest glow worms I had ever seen. The children's eyes, had adjusted to the dark, they were astounded to be surrounded by so many glow worms at all different levels along the path. This led to a wondering... "What conditions are needed for glow worms to be in an area?"
Our future investigating will be in our own gully to see if we have the Long Tailed Bat and Glow Worms residing in it.
Our Bat Tour was hosted by Robyn Irving from Taste of Te Kauri Bat Tours - Hammond Park. I would really recommend this tour. Robyn was patient and knowledgeable. She ensured their were enough Bat Detectors to ensure that all the children and adults could hear and participate in the experience. I would recommend that all school groups get to enjoy this experience.
You can also have Bat Tours with the Hamilton Museum. http://waikatomuseum.co.nz/exhibitions-and-events/view/2145882547
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