July 2015
Last Meeting
From right to left June Sibell, Pat Boehne, Peggy Rudnitski, Amy Rudnitski, Sally Dahlquist, Bob Muhich, Kerry Shimmin, Mike
Schaitberger, Mary Heltsley, and Janice Leafer.
The last meeting took place at the Good Earth restaurant in Edina. The meeting was mainly social full
of lively conversation and excellent food. No new or old business was brought up at the meeting but we did
have several presentations. The first was a family history presented by Bob Muhich on his family connections
to the Isle of Man, it was greatly detailed and fun to listen to. He also provided newspapers from that time and
has provided his family connection info so we can add it to this newsletter to share with the group. Next Sally
gave a presentation on the landmarks on the island and information about each one with a hand out she
brought with to share. As she has visited the isle before she had a lot of wonderful information and personal
experiences to share. Amy finished with a short presentation and hand out on the landmarks as well. This
handout concentrated one some of the natural landmarks as well as some of the more obscure. As the
meeting wound down we had people went back to talking and relaxing and even having a bit the end of the
evening excitement. Our waiter that evening was also a singer and did a short blues song at the table and Bob
and Janice discovered they may have a family connection from the isle. All and all it was a most enjoyable
time, thanks to everyone for a great meeting.
Future Meeting
Janice Leafer has offered to have a meeting at her house in Excelsior on October 15 2015 she will be
showing her pictorial family tree. June will be doing a presentation of pictures from Tynwald the year Prince
Charles was there. More details about this meeting in the next newsletter but do keep the date in mind. And if
anyone has any ideas on something they would like to see presented or would like to do a presentation please
let me know at fairygodmother29@yahoo.com and I will add it the next letter.
fact, they can see almost as well as humans. But to fly and hunt for insects in the dark, they use a remarkable
high frequency system called echolocation, which is like natural sonar. Bats make calls as they fly and listen to
the returning echoes to build up a sonic map of their surroundings. Their high frequency calls are normally
beyond the range of human hearing. The detectors work by converting echolocation calls into a frequency that
is audible to the human ear. Its a magical box of tricks that makes bat sounds normally inaudible to us,
audible, explained Nick, who retired as general manager of the Wildlife Park in 2011. At this time of year, bats
group together in colonies of up to 200, and emerge at dusk to feed on night-flying insects, the first hour or
two of darkness being a peak time. They are most active on warm, still evenings.The most dedicated bat
watchers go out at 4am to watch them return to their roosts. Bat group member Jill Dunlop first became
fascinated in these creatures following a close encounter. Jill, education support officer at Anagh Coar School,
said: A number of years ago I was teaching at Andreas School which had bats in the loft. That captured my
interest. Further along the track our bat detectors began clicking frenetically as more bats swooped overhead.
Different species can be heard at different frequencies. A Nattarers bat, for example, makes a sound like
burning straw, apparently. A Daubentons, however, sounds like machine gun fire, as we discovered when we
retraced our steps and then crossed the road towards Glen Lough. Nick said his favourite bat is the brown
long-eared bat, which is widespread throughout the island. He said: They are in many ways the nicest. They
are the ones that if you show them to people they go aww. At shortly after 11pm, we made our way back, a
number in our group having seen a bat for the very first time in their lives. Jills husband, Bill, said: For the
conditions it was a very successful night. If it had been absolutely still we could have expected to have seen a
few more. The Manx Bat Group, which currently has 32 members, is marking its 25th anniversary this year by
holding The Big Bat Count, with the aim of verifying all the islands bat roosts identified since the groups
inception in 1990. The group hopes that members of the public, including the owners of any houses in which
bats have chosen to roost, will help. Volunteers will be out and about around the island on summer evenings
counting bats as they emerge from their roosts. Anyone wishing to help with The Big Bat Count, or to report a
bat roost, can get in touch with the organiser Nick Pinder on 897499 or by email to
records@manxbatgroup.org You can join the next bat walk, on July 25 around Ballasalla village and river,
meeting at the ford at 9.10pm. There is an International Bat Night walk around Andreas village on August 29,
meeting at Andreas playing field opposite the church drive at 8pm and then on September 26, there is a batspotting walk around The Raggatt near Peel meeting at 6.45pm. Check the groups website for further details
at www.manxbatgroup.org
Sandy Huyton with children at Foxdale Primary School, who have raised
money for the Manx Hedgehog Conservation Society
06:55 Thursday 09 July 2015
A Manx animal charity is set to take its work to the next level thanks to
new funding. The Manx Lottery Trust has offered a grant to the Manx
Hedgehog Conservation Society, which aims to help rehabilitate the islands sick, injured and orphaned
hedgehogs. The organisation is planning to get on the road in an eye-catching vehicle and are appealing for
help to make it happen. It wants to turn a Ford KA into a hedgehog with the help of stick-on graphics, but
needs some sponsorship to help buy the vehicle. Its the perfect shape, says founder Sandy Huyton, who also
runs Dolittles, a non-profitable animal-assisted healing organisation. Im sure it will be a memorable sight on
the islands roads that will get people talking and thinking about hedgehogs, she said. With the help of two
rescue hoglets, Sandy has been touring the islands schools and youth groups to get the message out to the
islands young people. Last week they visited Foxdale Primary School, where the children had raised money by
selling hand-made bookmarks and gifts at their school stall. Sandy says that the charitys long-term goal is to
create a hedgehog reserve and educational centre in the Isle of Man. People dont realise that they are an
endangered species, she said. The MHCS is appealing to the public to report any sightings. For more
information and tips on how to care for hedgehogs, find the Manx Hedgehog Conservation Societys page on
Facebook.