THE LIMERICK City European Green Leaf 2020 team at Limerick City and County Council has announced Ireland’s first-ever virtual bat walk.
The Virtual Bat Walk is a collaborative project between the Council and Vincent Wildlife Trust (VWT) and will be launched on Limerick EGLA2020 YouTube Channel this Friday, June 5 at 8pm as part of European Green Week.
The virtual walk gives the viewer the opportunity to learn more about Ireland’s only nocturnal, flying mammals from the comfort of your own home.
Bat experts Dr Kate McAney and Ruth Hanniffy will talk and walk you through the different bat species in Limerick, their habitats and feeding habits.
Bats feed on midges and even the smallest pipistrelle bat can eat between three and five thousand midges in one night.
Dr McAney, Head of the VWT’s Conservation Department in Ireland said, “‘Although it’s hard to substitute the fun and pleasure of going out on a bat walk we hope this virtual adventure will bring these amazing animals to life. We are grateful to all our contributors”.
The virtual bat walk will be freely available to all as part of Limerick City’s European Green Leaf programme of events for 2020.
Mayor of the City and County of Limerick Cllr Michael Sheahan said, “This is a wonderful innovative way to learn about our only flying mammal during Limerick’s European Green Leaf Year.
They are amazing creatures and always elicit a sense of awe and wonder when you see them in the night sky. With the restrictions imposed due to Covid-19, our wildlife has had a time to flourish, while we have had longer to just sit and admire our beautiful landscape, flora and fauna. This is another opportunity, thanks to our designation as European Green Leaf City for 2020.”
The walk is Free of charge to members of the public and can be viewed on YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs0ZcWQQcOoQzTS7fb-LwYg?view_as=subscriber
For more information about European Green Leaf events, log on to Limerick.ie/European-Green-Leaf-City #EGLALimerick2020 #EGLA2020.
