New homes in forest

On the 12th November work morning, members of the Conservation Group installed a range of bird and bat boxes in the Woods. These are not the usual square wooden boxes – they are a modern rounded design made in a concrete based material.

We have a range of birds living in the wood, but we would like to increase the range of species. We also know that we have bats in the wood, and we would like to increase the population, hence these very desirable residences.

As regards the unusual design of the boxes, they are intended to last much longer than the wooden types. They are designed to look like holes in a tree, and they may attract some species that don’t like the angular look of the wooden boxes.

But do the boxes look too artificial? No, they blended in much better than I had expected. Mind you, I hear that the local squirrels are starting a protest group against over-development!

The new bird and bat boxes were provided free of charge by South Gloucestershire Council.

Isabel Ryan's photo shows members of the Conservation Group preparing to install the new boxes - the black ones are the bat boxes (the yellow is just the labels - we took them off).

We also planted some trees in the picnic area - horse chestnuts and hazel trees, kindly donated by a local resident.