New Zealand long-tailed bats (pekapeka tou roa; Chalinolobus tuberculatus) are found in the forest areas of Te Wao Nui o Tiriwa / Waitākere Ranges, but we’re not sure if bats can still be found in central Tāmaki.
We’d love to hear from you if think you’ve seen or heard them. Bats feed on moths, midges, and flying insects at dawn and dusk and help with pollination of native species. In fact, bats are a great indicator species as they are sensitive to all sorts of threats:
- Mammalian predators Reducing the number of rats, stoats and possums really makes life easier for bats. Feral cats are also an issue, and even domestic cats are best kept in from dusk until dawn.
- Forest fragmentation Bats need forested corridors along which to travel. These should be planned into urban designs.
- Loss of habitat Bats nest in holes in old trees and like species with loose bark. To encourage bats we need to hang onto old trees, even exotics like gums, willows, macrocarpa and pines.
Detecting bats
Bats use echolocation to detect their insect prey, but the frequency is too high for human ears. Bat detectors bring that frequency down to clicks and buzzes we can hear. If you suspect you might have bats, you can borrow a bat detector from us and we’ll help you to determine the results.
Urban Ark runs periodic stream walks, heading out at dusk on warm evenings exploring forest margins, focusing on areas where there are mature trees (good for roosts) and fresh water. As well as being excellent opportunities to listen for rūrū (morepork), spot eels and native fish and generally enjoy an evening stroll, we’ve often carried bat detectors.
In recent years we’ve tried:
- Chamberlain Park fringe along Waitītiko / Meola Creek
- Western Springs Park and Bullock Track Bush
- Jaggers Bush and Lower Waitītiko / Meola Creek
- Te Auaunga / Oakley Creek from the railway to the sea.
- Pukekawa / Auckland Domain
- Gribblehirst Park
Resources
- Auckland Council produce and informative Long-Tailed Bat fact sheet (PDF, 3.45 MB).
- Kids Greening Taupo have an excellent bat webpage for our younger pekapeka fans.
- Friend of Urban Ark and Senior Conservation Advisor at Auckland Council, Ben Paris, is NZ batman actove on both Facebook and Instagram.