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Batty for bats in Aberdeenshire

Haddo House at night by Cain Scrimgeour.
Haddo House at night by Cain Scrimgeour.

Hundreds of stars light the night sky and the eerie green and yellow glare gives one of the north-east’s best loved attractions a sinister new look.

After the day’s visitors have gone home, who knows what lurks behind the 18th Century Palladian columns or creeps across the lawn.

If a colony of bats were to suddenly burst from the shadows you would be startled and your scream might break the silence but that is exactly what could happen in the grounds of Haddo House this spring.

The buildings in the country park are home to some of the best bat roosts in Scotland and local enthusiasts can learn all about them this weekend.

North East Scotland Bat Group (NESBats) have been bat watching at Haddo for several years and will lead a Bat Watch evening on Saturday.

Visitors will be able to watch bats leaving their roosts and use special high-tech sonic detecting equipment to track the bat’s calls.

NESBats will use recordings of these calls to identify the different species of bat such as the Soprano Pipistrelle, Daubenton’s Bat and the Brown Long-eared bats.

Participants on the walk will also be able to look out for other creatures that are hard to spot during the day such as badgers, deers and owls.

Haddo visitor officer Diana Spencer said the night-time setting should not put off easily-scared visitors from signing up.

She said: “Bats are fascinating creatures, and not at all creepy or scary.

“They even do us a favour by eating quite a lot of the midgies that we all moan about in the summer.

“Watching them come winging out of their roosts as the sun sets is a spectacular experience.”

The free event will begin at 9pm with refreshments in the new visitor centre before heading out into the park with bat detectors. Children and families are welcome and participants can stay as long as they choose.

To book or for more information email haddo@visithaddo.com, or call 01651 851041.