Welcome to Blinded by the Night!

This is a campaign run by Beth Gerrard, a Level 3 BSc Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Science student at the University of the West of England. Blinded by the Night focusses on conserving bats around Stoke Park through reducing artificial light pollution.

Light pollution can negatively affect lots of our neighbouring wildlife, particularly nocturnal animals such as bats. Bats have very sensitive eyes and too much light can change the way they behave, which may result in reduced survival. In the UK, all bat species are protected as their populations are declining. They are such unique animals and have a very important role in helping our natural environment work smoothly, meaning we need to make sure we all play our part in minimising our impacts on them. Through protecting bats, we can help them to support our other wildlife.

Stoke Park in Bristol is a great place to see a variety of plants and animals. Its location surrounding an urban environment means it can be easily impacted by human activities. The site is a hotpot for different bat species such as the common pipistrelle and Daubenton’s bat. Some of them are really sensitive to light making them vulnerable to their urban surroundings.

Artificial light at night comes from many places, with our homes contributing to 14%. This is a result of us leaving lights on in unused rooms, keeping curtains open, using harmful light bulb types and using all-night security lighting. There are easy ways we can all help, which will benefit both us and our wildlife. Through taking action we can save money and attract lots of interesting animals to our gardens.

This campaign will show you the small changes you can make to your homes and provide you with all the information you’ll need to understand why conserving our bats is so important. Follow my social media pages to access tips on ways to help, my blog and updates on the work we are doing. With your help we can reduce light pollution around Stoke Park and live side-by-side with a range of awesome wildlife! So, join the fight to turn off the light!

How to get involved:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blindedbythenightbristol
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blindedbythenight_bats/