On Wednesday September 18th, we took a wonderful group of people from all over Strathearn on a free spooky themed bat walk to kick off the start of autumn. We had a record 26 people join us for the event, with many excited to see the Super Harvest Moon appearing that night!
To give some background, a supermoon is when the moon is closest to Earth in its elliptical orbit. It appears much larger (14%) and much brighter (30%) than when the moon is furthest away from the Earth. The name “Harvest Moon” refers to the time of year that the full moon appears, which in this case is very close to the Autumn Equinox. We wanted to give people a chance to see this special occasion, and to get some great pictures as well!
We set out from St Fillans after sunset with bat detectors in hand, including heterodyne detectors like the Magenta and Batbox Duet and professional full spectrum recorders such as the Anabat Scout. The detectors were passed out amongst the group so that everyone would get a chance to hear the unique echolocation calls of different bat species. We first spotted some pipistrelle bats foraging among the streetlights, including Scotland’s most familiar species the Soprano Pipistrelle Pipistrellus pygmaeus. After learning a bit more about their feeding and mating habits around this time of year, we took a stroll through the dark to the River Earn, where we listened for busy Daubenton’s bats Myotis daubentonii foraging over the water. Daubenton’s skim the surface of rivers and other water courses for their favourite prey species: midges, caddisflies, and mayflies. We saw and heard many of these bats zooming their way back and forth underneath the bridge.
After our experiences with the nocturnal wildlife, we turned our attention to the breathtaking moon which rose above the golf course and illuminated the night sky. Many of us posed for pictures, while those who brought dogs along let them run around the golf course under the moonlight. Our pictures couldn’t seem to capture just how large and bright the moon appeared! We took a moment to look at the stars as well, trying to spot any familiar constellations, and chatted amongst ourselves.
Finally, we made our way down through the trees to the other side of the river, where we set up a scope on the bridge. Through the scope, we could see the individual craters on the moon, and several people took on the challenge of getting a good picture of them through the scope! We were grateful to examine the Supermoon so closely as it hung over the waters of the River Earn. Whilst here, we also noticed the International Space Centre zooming across the sky. That was unexpected!
Thank you to everyone who joined us! We hope you all had a lovely time exploring St Fillans' nocturnal wildlife and natural wonders. We plan on running more astronomical themed events as the nights grow longer, so keep an eye out for upcoming events on our website!
- The Aquila Team