Dark Knight exposed?

Entrance to site, linseed oil crop now harvested

Our dark knight with first phase improvements

More substantial construction with long diagonal supports

Earlier in the week Morris {Bat trust} , Mike and Simon began construction in the bat cave in earnest following prep work we initiated last week. This involved more detailed checking of existing roof supports and checking out stability of cave ceiling by appropriate use of hammer. Outside Simon added improvements to the steps I recut last week, a valuable piece of work given the return of some heavy rainfall.

Today started with loading up some suitable hardwood timber and some long scaffolding poles. Morris met up with us at Sherborne and we set off for the bat cave. Humidity at the site was not as high as last week but it was still pretty warm. Initial task was to ship yet more material from the Ford Ranger down to and inside the bat cave. Highlight for me was a close up of several peacock butterflies which can' t resist the abundant teasel growing in the area. While I acted as safety man outside the cave Mike and Morris began the next phase of construction deep in the cave. To keep me occupied I was given a selection of 'clamps' {double, fixed , swivel more learning for me!} to ensure they were in working order. Not as straightforward as it sounds given the 'rusted' condition of some, thanks Mike!

Took my lunch break checking out the bird life in the vicinity of the weir on Sherborne brook. Swans, Coots with young , heron, ducks and buzzards on show, using my new binos.

After lunch Mike with trailer met me at Sherborne NT offices to gather yet more hardwood and even more scaffolding poles for the afternoon construction. We met up with Morris at the bat site where the transport of the latest material to the bat cave was the first task, this time with the added challenge of not tripping over the enthusiastic Maddie. As before I remained outside the cave entertaining Maddie while the dynamic duo continued with the impressive construction as shown by pics  above. Amazingly most of the wood, poles and supports were pretty much used up by the days work but more still remained outstanding deeper in the cave.  Yes, inspite of another good days work it would take another day to finish the remaining work needed to ensure this habitat will continue to support the healthy bat community for many years to come. Here's hoping the lesser horseshoes and maybe other bat species appreciate the upgrade work carried out on their behalf.  Only small disappointment for me was that the lesser horseshoe bat flying around on Tuesday was not to be seen today. Still I am sure it will have reported back to its mates of the activity and we may see even more hibernating in this winter roost.