We joined Bat Conservation Ireland in April 2024 and were delighted to be awarded a grant to undertake a survey of bats in Doman’s Wood.  A walking transect coupled with stationary recording points was carried out in August 2024. The results of this work, together with desktop research, was presented to Bat Conservation Ireland and the City Council in November 2024.  We have run a number of community bat walks over the last and will be continuing this programme through 2025 and 2026.  We continue to work with Bat Conservation Ireland on the protection of bats in the Douglas area.

In March 2016, under the guidance from Cork Nature Networks,  9 bat boxes suitable as summer roosts were installed in the woods. These boxes were produced by the Men’s Sheds in Glounthane and Carrigaline and later painted using mammal-friendly paint by the Douglas scouts. A real community project! Carrigaline Men’s Shed also modified the Kent bat box design so that it can be easier produced with less waste of wood. This design can be found here: CMS EASY CONSTUCTION BAT BOX.

In 2013 the Cork branch of the Irish Wildlife Trust carried out a survey along the stream that runs through the Ballybrack Woods (Mangala). The resulting report indicated the presence of four bat species in the area

• soprano pipistrelle
• common pipistrelle
• Leisler’s bat
• and unidentified Myotis species

The full survey report can be found here: Bat survey of Ballybrack River Valley