Spooky bat survey takes volunteers into the night on Shropshire canal

A bat survey on the Montgomery Canal near Oswestry took a spooky turn as volunteers explored the waterway after dark.

Organised by Canal & River Trust ecologist Jenny Spelling, the survey began near the Queens Head pub, with volunteers armed with bat detectors to pick up the animals' high-pitched calls.

As daylight faded, the group heard bats crackling through their detectors and owls hooting in the darkness.

But the eerie atmosphere also brought tales of the haunted narrowboat Usk, which lies at Crickheath, and its ghostly skipper, George Benbow, who is said to pace the towpath.

A song has even been written about the legend, titled At Crickheath at dusk by the hulk of the Usk.

The volunteers were soon brought back to the science of the survey as Ms Spelling explained how bats use echolocation to navigate and hunt.

Bats produce high-pitched ultrasonic sounds that are beyond the range of human hearing. The sound waves bounce off surrounding objects and flying insects before returning as echoes, which the bats' brains process to build a picture of their surroundings.

As a bat closes in on an insect, the clicking sounds become more like a buzz, helping it pinpoint its target.

The survey recorded Daubenton's bats, soprano pipistrelles, common pipistrelles and noctule bats.

Ms Spelling said: “It was a great night – but really spooky at times!”

The event also highlighted the work of the Canal & River Trust in encouraging volunteers to get involved in caring for local waterways and wildlife.

Aston Nature Reserve, near Queens Head, is one example of this work, with the volunteer group known as the Aston Crew surveying, monitoring and maintaining nature reserves along that stretch of canal.

Their work echoes that of the lengthsmen who looked after canals more than 100 years ago.