Free bat and history walks at Loch Leven

The national nature reserve will first play host to Batty about Bats on Saturday, 6 May, and then participants can Walk through Time at a trek on Sunday, 14 May.

Loch Leven is internationally important for the birds which make the rich waters of the loch their home, but there is much more to the reserve than just these feathered residents. As the evenings warm up, the reserve’s population of bats start to come out of hibernation to feast on moths and the many other insects found over the loch during the hours of darkness.

Join SNH staff and local Bat Group volunteers for a sunset stroll to find out more about our resident bats at Loch Leven NNR, including pipistrelle and Daubenton’s. The group might even be lucky enough to locate some of the reserve’s rarer bat species. Using modern bat detectors, participants will be able to listen to high frequencies of the bats’ echo-location. This event is being run in collaboration with the Fife and Kinross Bat Group, a partner of Bat Conservation Trust.

SNH Reserve Manager, Neil Mitchell, says “It’s a great experience venturing out onto the reserve in the gloaming with the trepidation of hearing the first clicks and squeaks from the bat detector, then peering into the darkness, trying pick out the fluttering shadows of bats.”

The walk stays on the Loch Leven Heritage Trail, so access is level and the distance walked is relatively short. There will be some waiting around listening to the bats, so wear warm clothes and bring a torch if you have one. To book a place, call the reserve office on 01577 864439. Meet at Burleigh Sands car park at 8:30pm for the two-hour walk.

For history aficionados, as part of the year of History, Heritage and Archaeology, SNH is delighted that local historian Professor David Munro MBE will be leading a walk from Loch Leven’s Larder along the Loch Leven Heritage Trail past Portmoak Moss and returning through Kinesswood and Balgedie. This is a great opportunity to join the author of numerous publications and books on the history of Loch Leven and Kinrosshire to discover more about the cultural history of this area. The walk is free, but Professor Munro welcomes donations to the Michael Bruce Trust to help with events marking the 250th anniversary of the poet's death.

Neil adds, “Having David lead this walk is a great opportunity for anyone wishing to find out about the wealth of cultural heritage surrounding Loch Leven to learn more from the local expert.”

This slightly strenuous seven-kilometre walk starts on the Loch Leven Heritage Trail and returns along public footpaths near a road. Path surfaces are level, but there are some short hills. To book your place, call the reserve office on 01577 864439. We meet at Loch Leven’s Larder car park at 13:00 for this three-hour walk.

These walks are part of SNH’s work to help more people experience and enjoy nature, one of the priorities of the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy.

ENDS

MEDIA QUERIES

Contact SNH press & PR officer, Vicki Mowat, on 0131 316 2659 or vicki.mowat@snh.gov.uk (Tuesday to Friday) or the SNH main press office on 01463 725 020 or 022 (Monday).