All you need to know about bats
A new interpretation board installed by the lakeside in Warminster Park is a joint project, initiated and managed by Sustainable Warminster with Warminster Town Council.
It was funded jointly by the Tesco Bags of Help Community Grant Scheme, with tokens collected at the Broadway Tesco store, and the Town Council Parks and Recreation Committee.
The project is 100% made in Wiltshire. Sustainable Warminster worked with the Wiltshire Bat Group, Wiltshire-based designer Steve Dixon and Wiltshire- based specialist bat photographers Paul Colley and Daniel Hargreaves to produce the high-quality design. It was printed and manufactured in the county.
The board has a wealth of information and some spectacular photographs of bats, general information and interesting facts about bats that frequent Warminster.
Of the 17 species of bat in the UK, in Warminster, at least 13 different kinds of bat use the areas around the lake and in Smallbrook Meadows Nature Reserve. On the Bar Board] are details and photos of some of the rarer species in Warminster along the dark wildlife corridor leading into town from the open countryside of the Wylye Valley.
At dusk they can be seen swooping low over the water of the lake or among and above trees in the park. Bats feed on moths and mosquitos flying over the water. They also eat beetles and other insects and are an important part of the local ecosystem.
The interpretation board tells visitors how they can hear bats in the evening by using a special monitor and Sustainable Warminster hope to have another public bat walk and talk soon.
A Sustainable Warminster member said: " We want to encourage everyone to get involved in protecting these little mammals and to monitor the bat boxes put up around town. Trees, hedgerows and dark places are essential for bats. We are concerned about the lighting and habitat loss impact of the proposed Damask Way housing development If approved, it will disrupt and light up their foraging and commuting routes into the park. If we keep on spoiling these pockets of rich wildlife we will not have a sustainable life for our children and grandchildren. "
All bats are protected by law.