A GROUP more used to protecting Scotland’s historic environment is giving nature a helping hand in the north-east.
Historic Scotland has installed two roosting boxes for bats near a prestigious art gallery mansion.
The wooden boxes have been positioned on trees near Banff’s Duff House gallery, where the agency is one of the operating partners.
The 2ft-high boxes are more than 20ft off the ground to ensure safety from animal predators and humans.
Historic Scotland district architect Mike Pendery said: “The boxes are part of our initiative to fly the flag for wildlife. We spoke to Scottish Natural Heritage to get advice on good sites and Duff House was one of them.
“The open parkland round the house makes an ideal hunting ground for the bats, and we are hopeful the boxes will be successful.”
The boxes have ridges inside for the creatures to hang on, and could be used by different species of bats. The idea of installing boxes was raised with Historic Scotland at a regular liaison meeting with gallery staff.
Similar initiatives at other Historic Scotland properties in the north and north-east have been successful in attracting the mammals.
A spokeswoman for the Bat Conservation Trust said: “Ideally we would like to see them roost in bat-friendly buildings, but boxes are the next-best alternative.”
She said pipistrelle bats were the most common of Britain’s 17 species, all of which are protected.
“The ones at Banff could be one of two types of pipistrelle or three other types found in the north-east,” she said.
May is traditionally the time female bats form maternity colonies and look for roosting sites. Females try to find as warm an environment as possible to have their young, although boxes are sometimes too cold.
A Duff House spokesman said: “We are delighted that the boxes will offer the bats a choice of roosting places.”