An eight-year project to install and monitor bat boxes at Burrator Reservoir has provided valuable insight into the activities and preferences of eight protected species.

In 2010, 120 bat boxes of five different designs were erected in three woodlands around the reservoir. Since then, volunteers have undertaken nearly 7,000 box checks in all types of weather, every month between April and October.

The project has been led by Paul McNie, waste water environment manager at South West Water, and Neil Reeves, head of countryside and recreation at South West Lakes Trust. Both are licensed bat workers who have voluntarily given thousands of hours of their own time to the project and inspired hundreds of volunteers to join them.

Paul said: ‘Bats are important because they represent over one-third of British mammal species and are indicator species for the health of the environment. Understanding our bat population helps us understand the health of our woodland ecosystem and informs future habitat management decisions.

‘From this project, we have developed a specific understanding of bat habitat choice and box use, which has informed and continues to inform the woodland management plans at this site, as well as providing an insight and greater understanding of an often-misunderstood group of animals.’

To find out more about the project, pick up your copy of the January 31 edition of the Tavistock Times.