Written by: Mark Brotherton
2024
In late summer 2023, we invited representatives from both the Tonbridge RSPB and the Kent Bat Group to The Nevill. The purpose of these visits was to seek advice on how best to encourage birds and bats and where to locate boxes. Our visitors were pleased to hear about the new wildflower areas, as these will attract insects—a key food source for birds and bats.
While we have already identified several bat species on the course, we are eager to encourage more, particularly to help control the crane fly population, which can infest the greens. Bats can consume up to 3,500 insects a night, and crane flies can carry up to 300 eggs each. During the recent visit, we identified the following bat species: Noctule, Common and Soprano Pipistrelle, and Daubenton’s.
Following the visit, we purchased 26 bird and bat boxes from a local charity, which are now installed on the course. These include six boxes each for swallows, robins, and tits, two for barn owls, and six for bats.
