SCOUTS from Crow country have been been busy building boxes to house some of the area’s bats and birds.

The members of the 7th Royston (Barkway) Scout Troop made seven small bat boxes and three bird boxes as part of their community challenge, and these have been installed at the RSPB nature reserve in Fowlmere.

Scout leader Fred Kuenzi said: “Last Friday the warden at the reserve, Doug Radford, lead the Scouts on a wildlife tour while the boxes were installed.

“The boxes were fitted in clusters of three facing different directions around the trunks of trees. This allows the bats to select the one with the right temperature for roosting during the day and hibernating over the winter.

“Bats, along with insectivorious birds such as swifts and swallows, play a key role in controlling insect populations, and the addition of these specially designed boxes will help maintain and boost the bat population.

Anyone interested in joining the scout troop should email scouts7throyston@ntlworld.com.