Our last task of 2018 was to install bat boxes in Meadows Green copse.  The boxes were built by our volunteers to a recommended design for the types of bat that frequent the Common.  The boxes are much larger than bird boxes and are sited higher and are easily visible from the Donkey Derby field.  Another contrast with bird boxes is the capacity of bat boxes which can accommodate hundreds of bats.  All of the UK’s bat species are insectivores with a diet made up of moths, flies, beetles and mosquitoes. With one bat capable of eating thousands of insects each night, they play a key role in our environment so we hope we have encouraged them stay with us.