Possums and bats

As summer approaches, now is the time to look out for possums and bats - but for different reasons.

Whakaupoko Landcare said this was the ideal time of year to plan some possum control by night shooting.

Group leader Andrew Sinclair said the possums favoured spring growth on poplars and willows, so targeting these trees could pay dividends.

Now is also the time to keep an eye on twilight skies for signs of bats. Whakaupoko Landcare is trying to monitor Franklin’s population of long-tailed bats, but they are notoriously difficult to spot.

Bat detectors have been placed around the district, and results show that there are bat populations in the Mauku to Akaaka area, Bald Hill and occasionally in Patumahoe and on Martyn Wright Rd.

Sinclair said he was surprised by the lack of bats found on the Awhitu Peninsula, despite the robust pest-control programme in place there.

He would like to see more bats in Franklin, and is asking anyone who has seen them to get in touch at andrew@climbingjack.com. Bats are most often sighted against a clear sky just after sunset, with a flight pattern comparable to a swallow.