The sun is setting on an idyllic summer’s day. You look up to admire the twilight sky when suddenly you see a flash of black whirl through the air, and then another and another! Welcome to the mysterious twilight world of the pipistrelle bat. Where can I spot a pipistrelle? Seemingly silent, weighing no more than a pound coin and small enough to fit in a matchbox, the common pipistrel bat isn’t exactly the easiest creature to spot, so it helps to know when and where to find them. These adorable, mouselike mammals come out of hibernation from March, hungry and ready to fill up on as many lacewings, mayfly, and mosquitoes as they can get their tiny little claws on. In fact, despite their miniature size these hungry creatures can devour as many as 3,000 insects per night! You're most likely to spot them around 20 minutes after sunset, whilst there’s still some light in the sky. Keep an out for their ‘Bat Signal’ like silhouette as they erratically whip in and out sight, patrolling woodland edges, waterways, gardens, parks, streetlights and city skies. How to ID The common pipistrelle bat is our smallest and most common bat. It has dark, golden brown fur, a slightly paler underside and a dark mask around its face. They roost in tree holes, bat boxes and even the roof spaces of houses, often in small colonies. Bats use echolocation to chase their prey through the night sky. Each species has its own unique series of clicks and pops which are mostly inaudible to human ears, but with specialist equipment we can tune in to their hidden world and ID our furry, nocturnal friends Helping your friendly neighbourhood bats Despite their name, common pipistrelle populations have more than halved since the 1960’s. These declines are due to a variety of factors, including the reduction of foraging habitat, loss of roosting sites, urbanisation and increased pesticide use (which reduces their insect food supply). You can help the bats in your area by: Giving them a home - Put up a bat box close to the eaves of your house or on a tree at least 4m above the ground. Preferably in a sheltered, sunny, south facing direction near hedges and lines of trees. Attracting their prey - Plant night-scented flowers to attract moths and other night-flying pollinating insects that pipistrelles will eat Reducing or removing artificial lighting – Bats are nocturnal creatures and are easily confused by artificial lighting. Help protect them by closing your curtains at night and turning off your outdoor lighting.

This post talks about the rescue centre for Hedgehogs, what to do to help hedgehogs and stop their decline.

Bottom trawling is a fishing technique whereby heavy nets are dragged along the bottom of the seabed gathering up everything in its path. Not only does it totally destroy the benthic layer, the important top layer of the seafloor, they are also indiscriminate which means they catch juvenile fish and specie s they were not necessarily hoping to catch. This bycatch is usually thrown back in the sea, but most of it does not survive. Fishery policies can often exacerbate this problem resulting in perfectly good eating fish being thrown back in order to ensure that quotas are not exceeded. If that wasn’t bad enough, a new report published in Nature has now shown that bottom trawling releases as much carbon as air travel. The marine sediments at the bottom of the ocean are the biggest carbon ‘sink’ on the planet and they play an important role as an excess carbon reservoir. If they are left alone the carbon can stay there for millions of years. However, if the bottom sediments are disturbed the carbon can be released resulting in an increase in ocean acidification which could potentially increase the CO2 in the atmosphere. While much of the world’s population relies on seafood as a main source of protein it is important that we take a precautionary approach to our fishing practices and management policies. Utilising methods that not only destroy fragile ecosystems but also increase global warming and ocean acidification is not precautionary, nor is it sustainable and it is something that needs to be addressed at an international level. 

Seagrass is one of the most important plants on the planet. Seagrass meadows, mangroves and coastal wetlands capture carbon at a rate greater than tropical forests. Your team can be involved in planting more of this unseen environmental champion as part of our partnership with Project Seagrass.  Here’s how.

We thought it was better to bring Ark to life to really show what we do! The question is would you prefer to keep your hands clean - or dirty? Click here to find out more...