Woodland bat box scheme takes off
the return of the council’s offer of free parking in council-operated car parks across Perth and Kinross, which will run every Saturday from November 30 to December 29.
The council’s environment and
A project to erect bat boxes at a Perthshire beauty spot has been “a huge success”.
Forestry and Land Scotland has managed to install 30 bat boxes in woodlands near Loch Faskally, thanks to funding from The Enchanted Forest Community Trust.
The annual light and sound show, which finishes this weekend, donates money to three different charities every year.
In September 2017, Tayside Bat Group volunteers were able to put in the bat boxes.
Forestry and Land Scotland, which provided the support funding, has been monitoring the boxes and now says they are home to 44 soprano pipistrelle bats.
Ian Sim, chairman of The Enchanted Forest Community Trust, said: “The Enchanted Forest is a huge annual event that goes from success to success and we are always looking to reinvest in the local community as a thank you for its continued support through the years.
“Funding the bat boxes was a great idea that we thought would help encourage and develop the forest’s wild ecosystem.
“We are really pleased that they have proved to be so popular.”
The mix of handmade wooden and ready-made woodcrete boxes are located in good habitat for the bats.
They are close to Loch Faskally, but are still well away from where The Enchanted Forest is held.
Gareth Ventress from Forestry and Land Scotland’s environment team said: “The boxes have increased the potential roosting sites for protected species within a working forest and our survey in September this year has revealed how successful they’ve been.
“Almost all of the bats have now been sexed, weighed and measured and some of them are nearing the upper end of the scale for their species, weighing in at 7.2 grams when their upper limit is around the 8g mark. “That’s a really good sign that they are thriving.” The Enchanted Forest in Faskally Woods end on Sunday, November 3.