2023-07-04 07:21:41
City break tour at night
Bat screams shatter the silence in Lisbon
Scary anyone? Then a nocturnal expedition to see the bats at Lisbon Castle would be just the ticket. Thanks to an ultrasonic detector, their sounds, which are otherwise imperceptible to humans, can suddenly be heard clearly – and suddenly the animals can also be seen.
Status: 07:21 | Reading time: 3 minutes
Equipped with headlamps, visitors to the Castelo de São Jorge in Lisbon go in search of bats
Quelle: Jose Frade
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In the beginning there is only darkness. Only the brightly lit walls and pinnacles can be made out of the darkness. But there is life at night. “Here at the Castle of São Jorge you can find four species of bats,” explains the biologist, who is guiding me and several families that evening, in Portuguese and English.
She hands everyone a laminated sheet of animal drawings. “Below them, the European bulldog bat, one of the largest and the smallest species of its kind in Europe, the common pipistrelle, flies around the castle walls. The water bat and the serotine bat also live here.” We study the illustrations carefully and are amazed to see how different the silhouettes are: noticeably large round ears in the bulldog and small pointed ears in the common pipistrelle.
While our guide is still explaining some things about the way of life and nutrition of the animals, my gaze wanders over to the illuminated walls. In the darkness of the night I can still see absolutely nothing. And how on earth are you supposed to tell different species apart from that distance?
A guide gives the tour participants information about the way of life of the bats
Quelle: Jose Frade
My skepticism is reflected in the faces of the other participants who, like me, can hardly wait to finally spot some animals. “We will definitely see some,” the biologist reassures me. “And above all, we will hear them – with this device,” she says, and with a grin pulls an ultrasonic detector out of her backpack.
Hundreds of bats hunt around the castle
At least now she has the full attention of the group: Suddenly the nocturnal silence is broken by the screams of bats. We listen spellbound. Using a selector switch on the top of the black box, about the size of a packet of cigarettes, sounds above 20 kilohertz that are otherwise imperceptible to the human ear can be converted into audible frequencies.
“With the directional microphone, we can identify where the bats are hunting,” she says, pointing it at a nearby lantern. And lo and behold, all of a sudden I notice how several bats repeatedly advance into the cone of light for fractions of a second to catch insects.
More tips for Portugal:
The detector quickly moves from hand to hand. Children in particular turn it curiously in all directions. No bats roam the town, but point the mic at the castle towers and lighted footpaths and the melodic squeaks of the small mammals ring out. Suddenly, a tranquil evening at the castle turns into a night surrounded by hundreds of highly active bats.
While some might find this spooky, our guide is quick to dispel the myths of blood-sucking vampires and emphasize the animals’ importance in keeping insect numbers in check. Since this experience I can recognize the animals without an ultrasonic detector. In many places life has come into the darkness for me.
Additional Information:
Trams 12 or 28 (Miradouro Santa Luzia station) go to the Castle of São Jorge in Lisbon. The bat tours are offered every Saturday at 8.30pm (in Portuguese and English) from June to September and last around two hours. The ticket costs 10 euros per person (family ticket 20 euros). Important: Pre-registration required at the castle ticket office or by email [email protected]!
The article is an excerpt from the book “Lisbon – City Adventures” by travel book author Johannes Beck (240 pages, 17.90 euros, Michael Müller Verlag/mm-abenteuer.de). It describes 33 experiences in and around Lisbon that are extraordinary and take place off the usual tourist routes.
Source: Michael Müller Verlag
#Portugal #Bat #cries #shatter #silence #Lisbon