Box checks made by licensed inspectors during 2022 showed that the 8 bat boxes installed in 2022 were used by both brown long-eared and soprano pipistrelle bats. In February 2023 five more bat boxes were installed.
These (see photo below) were made for Notts Wildlife Trust by inmates of Whatton Prison. At the last inspection least 6 pipistrelles were present in one of last year’s boxes while the other boxes were empty – the bats like to huddle together!
It can take years for bats to start using new boxes, especially in areas where other roosting sites are available, as is the case in Sharphill Wood with its mature ivy-covered trees. So this is a good result and helps us to know what species are present in the wood. Another woodland specialist, the barbastelle, is rare in Notts, so it would be exciting to find one here.
Bat populations in the UK have declined over the past century as their habitats have become depleted and there are plenty of reasons to encourage them: e.g. pipistrelles are known to be big consumers of midges and mosquitos. We can take steps to make our gardens more bat-friendly by, for example, planting night-scented flowers, building a wildlife pond, minimising artificial lighting, and keeping cats indoors.
The Bat Conservation Trust has lots of advice on their website: www.bats.org.uk