In 2012 fifteen bat roosting boxes were erected in Allestree Park, funded by the now disbanded Derby City Council Go-wild Environmental Project. In March 2015, nine more boxes were installed, funded by an anonymous donor.
Since 2012, members of the Derbyshire Bat Group, assisted by members of FoAP have carried out an annual inspection of the boxes to see if they have been used by bats. Until 15th November, 2015, no bats, nor any signs of them had been detected in any of the boxes, though a few had birds' nests in them!
The latest inspection, however, revealed two bats in our boxes (both of those erected in 2015) in widely different locations in the Park. The first bat to be discovered was a male common pipistrelle, the other a female soprano pipistrelle. Bill Grange
 |
Alan Wragg of the Derbyshire Bat Group inspecting some of the bat roosting boxes in Allestree Park |
 |
A Common Pipistrelle, male - found in one of the boxes on 15th November Photo by Monica Monticelli |
 |
Measuring the folded wing-length of the Common Pipistrelle Photo by Monica Monticelli
|
 |
Weighing the Common Pipistrelle Photo by Monica Monicelli |
 |
A Soprano Pipistrelle, female - found in a second box on 15th November Photo by Steve Plant |
