Key Points
- Cindy Blaney, a 62-year-old senior ranger at Highgate Wood in North London, leads popular night walks where participants observe bats using detectors that convert ultrasonic calls into audible sounds.
- During these walks, Ms Blaney describes the experience as “It’s like tuning in to another world,” while demonstrating bat biology, debunking myths, and emphasising their unique traits as mammals.
- She conducts an annual bat survey by inspecting bat boxes for occupants, droppings, and evidence of use, recently discovering four bats in one box and previously six tiny pipistrelle bats and two Noctules in others.
- Highgate Wood is a 70-acre historic ancient woodland remnant, managed by the City of London, supporting diverse wildlife including bats threatened by habitat loss, light pollution, insect decline, and climate change.
- Ms Blaney has dedicated three decades to bats, starting bat walks in Highgate Wood in summer 1999 after becoming woodkeeper in late 1992, countering misinformation amid Covid-19 stigma linking bats to coronaviruses.
- On walks, she distributes bat images, artefacts like a taxidermy Noctule bat and resin-encased specimen, and droppings resembling “fairy dust” from insect exoskeletons, teaching that bats fly with their hands.
- British bats face risks as four of 11 species are threatened; Ms Blaney prefers wild creatures that “lead their own lives” over pets and highlights bats’ ancient lineage over 50 million years.
- Her walks sell out months in advance, educating Londoners on bats like pipistrelles and Noctules, with no reported long-term population trends for Highgate Wood but surveys track usage.
Highgate Wood comes alive at dusk as Cindy Blaney, North London’s devoted bat ranger, guides eager groups through the ancient trees, their detectors crackling with the secret symphony of nocturnal hunters. Bats, often misunderstood and maligned, emerge as stars of these sold-out excursions, where Ms Blaney’s passion transforms fear into fascination. This surge in interest underscores growing public curiosity about urban wildlife amid environmental pressures.
Who is Cindy Blaney?
Cindy Blaney serves as senior ranger—or woodkeeper—at Highgate Wood, a role she has held for over three decades. As reported by staff writers in The New York Times, Ms Blaney, aged 62, perched atop a ladder with moss in her wiry grey hair during a recent survey, exclaiming, “Oh, we have bats!” upon finding furry residents in a box.
Her journey began at the end of 1992 when she started as woodkeeper, launching bat walks in the summer of 1999, according to an earlier account in The London Economic. Ms Blaney does not claim official titles like “Britain’s foremost bat enthusiast,” yet her expertise earns her such acclaim through hands-on conservation.
Even her mother questioned, “But can you look them in the eyes?” reflecting early familial perplexity, which Ms Blaney meets only annually during surveys. She prefers beings that “lead their own lives,” eschewing pets for wild independence.
What Happens on a Bat Walk?
Participants receive bat detectors that translate high-frequency echolocation into audible whirrs, creating the sensation Ms Blaney describes as “like tuning in to another world.”
As detailed by The New York Times reporters, Ms Blaney begins by handing out images of bats, remarking, “The cuteness just keeps getting better,” over an adorable specimen. She displays artefacts: a tiny bat in resin from a Transylvania rock festival, bought by a friend, and a taxidermy Noctule bat found dead in Highgate Wood two decades ago, demonstrating, “This is a great way to illustrate that bats fly with their hands,” while extending her hand like a wing.
Occasionally, she crumbles bat droppings—small brown pencil erasers—revealing a sparkle “like fairy dust” from indigestible insect exoskeletons. The group then ventures into the dimly lit woods, detectors alive with bat chatter.
Febspot coverage notes these walks sell out months ahead, where Ms Blaney debunks fears and explains bats nurse and birth like humans, though she cautions against over-familiarity: “Highlighting similarities can make people feel more familiar and sympathetic. But what’s fascinating is their uniqueness.”
How Does Cindy Conduct Bat Surveys?
Annually, Ms Blaney tallies Highgate Wood’s bat population to gauge woodland use and population trends. In a recent daylight check, she found four bats tucked in a nesting chamber, as per Febspot.
The New York Times describes her inspecting boxes for residents, droppings, or signs, with moss tangling her hair mid-climb. This data informs conservation, tracking if numbers rise or fall amid threats.
Heath Hands blog recounts Wood Keeper Cindy Blaney revealing six bumblebee-sized pipistrelle bats hibernating in one box and two golden-brown Noctules in another during a volunteer walk. Such findings highlight species like pipistrelles, common in the area.
Why Are Bats Under Threat in Britain?
Four of Britain’s 11 bat species rank among mammals at risk, facing habitat loss, artificial light, insect declines, and climate change, according to Febspot. The Covid-19 pandemic damaged their image, with scientists suspecting a bat carried an early coronavirus infecting a Wuhan market animal; prior strains jumped from bats to mammals then humans.
Ms Blaney’s efforts counter this, emphasising bats’ prehistoric skeletons over 50 million years old and ecological role as insect hunters. Highgate Wood, a protected 70-acre ancient forest remnant of Middlesex’s Great Forest, offers sanctuary amid urban pressures.
Managed by City of London with Heath Hands volunteers, it preserves habitats like wild service trees, once used for strong beer, linking to historic Chequers pubs.
What Makes Highgate Wood Special for Bats?
This 70-acre woodland, harvested for timber from the 16th to 18th centuries and tied to Spanish Armada ships, supports rare habitats. Bats roost in boxes amid oaks and hornbeams, with surveys revealing pipistrelles and Noctules.
Heath Hands notes its pre-historic survival post-agriculture 5,000 years ago, blooming with daffodils, snowdrops, and bluebells in season. Ms Blaney’s walks occur here, amid squirrels, woodpeckers, and spawning frogs.
The New York Times portrays bats darting evenings for insects, their enigmatic nature respected by Ms Blaney, who observes mostly from afar.
How Do Bat Walks Educate the Public?
Ms Blaney stresses bats as mammals—nursing young—yet unique, avoiding supernatural links. Detectors reveal species via calls, fostering sympathy without domestication.
These outings convert sceptics, as Reddit discussions on the New York Times piece show enthusiasm for her “bat whisperer” status after 30 years. Similar events thrive across London, like Epping Forest or Hampstead Heath, but Highgate’s draw lies in Ms Blaney’s authenticity.
What is the Future for Bats in North London?
No long-term trends emerge from reports, but surveys persist for data. Ms Blaney continues walks and censuses, urging adoptions of volunteer-made bat boxes via Heath Hands.
Amid threats, her work builds support, with walks enchanting like “fairies flitting,” per Byways of London on Royal Parks bats. As urban green spaces dwindle, figures like Ms Blaney sustain wonder for these whirling mammals.
