An ecologist will speak about squeaky night-time predators before leading a walk to spot them tomorrow evening (Saturday).

Louise Woolley will give the annual Sid Valley Bat Project talk in the Sidmouth Town Council chamber on the species that can be found around the area and facts about their fascinating life cycle.

She will also explain issues that have led to their ‘massive’ decline and why they are now a protected species by law.

The project is voluntarily coordinated by Louise as part of the Sidmouth Science Festival and is researching how bats are using the valley, what species there are and the health of the populations.

This information will help provide evidence on how best to conserve the natural environment in the Sid Valley not only for bats but for wildlife in general.

Louise said: “This is a citizen science project which everyone can get involved in – from providing information on roosts or anywhere that you see bats, to having a bat detector to hear the bats as you go for a walk, or having a bat detector in your garden to record the species that you have present.

“No previous knowledge of bats is needed.

“This information will add to the local and national records of bat species, which is important to maintain bat population numbers through influencing planning, habitat management and to protect the Sid Valley for our future generations of wildlife and people.”

“All are welcome to this event, including families and although it may be a little past some youngsters’ bedtime it is a great opportunity for children to learn about wildlife and well worth staying up for.”

The talk will begin at 8pm and be followed by a walk through the Byes, where several species of bat use the area along the river for feeding at this time of year.

Numbers are limited to 30 so contact Louise to book a place on by emailing louise@devonecologyandwildlife.co.uk or calling her on 01395 512536.