All the things a bat could want

In my new garden, I have a whole list of wildlife targets, creatures I'd like to see moving in in droves under my watch.

Up there on the list of new tenants that would be very welcome are bats.

During this first year, I've been able to head out at dusk most evenings since spring to check whether I am already being visited. Sure enough, on most warm evenings I get to see a bat, and on a very few evenings I see two, most being small pipistrelle types.

As with any creatures, I like to work out what their Home Needs are - what are they looking for that their little brains say, "This is the place for me; it has exactly the things I need."

What my garden already offers them are mature trees arranged into gladews. These are both a highway for bats to travel along but also a 'wall' of vegetation in the lee of which night-time insects tend to gather. So my one, or two, or three bats tend to wheel and loop, as if on an invisible roller-coaster, in front and around these trees.

What I didn't have were many places where I feel bats could roost. None of the trees were dead or hollow, and they don't have access to my loft. So time to put up some batboxes.

This is one of the RSPB's, made of untreated timber (essential) and with two cavities up into which bats can scramble if they wish - a big cavity at the back for larger bats and a smaller one at the front. You can also buy single cavity boxes, or of course build your own, although it can be difficult to find a source of untreated wood.

The key in terms of location is to put them somewhere sheltered, but with a clear flightpath in. Recent research suggests they don't have to be placed very high, but in gardens with cats it is best to put them head height up or more.

I've put up four boxes in different positions and haven't had any sign of any bats moving in yet, but it is early days - it takes them a while to find them, and even then they may only be in residence occasionally through a year..

But what I don't have yet is a pond. As a magnet for night-flying insects and hence for bats, it is a must.

You'll be pleased to know that digging is well and truly underway! So by this time next year, I'm hoping my one and sometimes two bats will have turned into three and sometimes four...