bats

we could all use a few more of these cool critters!
http://flyingfur.typepad.com/flyingfur/2004/07/friends_have_as.html

These really are cool critters, we are very fortunate to have many of these who visit us every day at dusk. They are fun to watch as they flit about catching bugs, hopefully many mosquitoes.

Last summer I was up on the ladder one day working on the chimney. I had been up there for about 10 minutes or so before I noticed the little guy in the picture. He was very patient and waited for me as I climbed back down the ladder and retrieved my camera.

After taking the picture I left my little friend to continue his rest and saved the chimney work for another day.

The strangest thing happened one night as I was in the basement working on the computer. I kept noticing something flying by the door to my study. I assumed it was a large moth and didn't give it much thought. Finally curiosity got the best of me and I decided to go investigate. It was a bat, this part of the basement is long and narrow and he was flying figure 8's trying to find his way back out.

We often leave the basement door open for the dogs and cats, this was how the bat got in. I finally turned off all the lights in the basement and turned on the light outside and he soon found his way back out.

awe, he's cute! I remember one drought year that bats would swoop down to drink from the pool at a freinds house every night. I haven't seen any at my place. I'm thinking I should put up a few bat houses to see if I can draw them in.

I have a couple of those bat houses up but have never seen the bats use them. I have noticed them in the trees and on the rock cliffs behind the house. That one in the pic is the only time I've seen one under the eave of the house.

The only time I really notice them is at dusk, in the twilight. I usually see anywhere from 2 to 6. They really are a joy to watch as they flit about.

I remember as a boy we used to throw rocks at them, it was amazing how quickly they could turn and dodge the rocks. Occasionally one would actually fly towards the rock, to investigate, as soon as he figured out it wasn't food he flew away.

So the bat houses may not work.....other than trees we don't have much bat habitat nearby, we are situated somewhat in "the bottoms" of the arkansas river. Not much rock or cliff in the immediate area. Next time I come across some suitable scrap wood I will add bat houses (along with swallow houses) to my list of things to build.

That page had a link that was supposed to be about what to plant to attract bat food, but the link is broke ...

works for me for some reason , here is what it says.....

Attracting Bats into the garden WFM 21042A
Mixture of wild and cultivated 'Nectar' rich Plants
Mixture of perennial some annuals and biennials from the following list
Available in  2 gram, 6 gram and 25 gram packets
Sow 0.9-1.35 grams per sq metre
A specially formulated mixture rich in nectar rich species of wild flowers and cultivated flowers and herbs. Many have night scented flowers that are attractive to night flying insects such as moths which provide food for our British Bats, all of which feed on insects especially at dusk.
It is intended to be sown without a grass seed mixture into prepared ground, and is suitable for creating a permanent ornamental bed of plants with mixed heights and flowering times. Please note the mixture may not include all the following seeds.
Species ideal for attracting moths and insects for bats to feed on include :-
Wild flowers; Barberry, Campion Bladder, Centaury, Common Evening-primrose, Corn Chamomile, Corn Marigold, , Cornflower, Cowslip, Dames-violet, Dog-rose, Field Poppy, Fleabane, Foxglove, Goldenrod, Herb Bennet, Large Flowered Evening-primrose, Maiden Pink, Meadow Clary, Meadowsweet, Michealmas-daisy, Mullien, Night Flowering Catchfly, Nottingham Catchfly, Ox-eye Daisy, Red Campion, Red Clover, Red Valerian, Scentless Mayweed, Soapwort, Sweet-briar, Vipers Bugloss, White Campion, Wild Basil, Wild Wallflower and Yarrow.
Cultivated flowers; Brompton Stock, Night Scented Stock, Tobacco Plant, Ten-week Stock, Virginia stock all Mixed.
Herbs; Borage, Chives, Lemon Balm, Pot Marjoram, Sage, Spearmint.
Cultural Information :-
Sow either late March to early May or late August to mid September in a sunny weed free site with fertile soil. Balanced organic or inorganic fertiliser can be used both before and after sowing. Cultivate the ground to prepare the finest seed bed possible. If necessary tread or roll to get a firm seed bed. Sprinkle the seed thinly and evenly onto the bed. Lightly rake in with a spring tined rake, firm the soil.
Keep the seedlings, young plants well-watered. Thin as required using thinnings as a source for plant material for other areas of the garden. Ensure the site is kept free of unwanted plants and grass.
One or two species in the mixture might spread rapidly from self sown seed, remove their heads after flowering to prevent them seeding.

I read that if bats don't use your bat houses, move them to another location, and keep moving them until you find what the bats like. Sounds reasonable to me.

Sue

I would like to hear from somebody with first hand experience in a bat house that does work.  I have yet to find a regular joe with a bat house with bats in it!

well that is dissapointing I don't know anyone with a bat house period. Anyone??

Here are some articles on bat house placement, which may help you get bats into your houses.  There are some other tips, too, like what they should be made of, that might be useful:

Guidelines for House Placement
http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/bats/bat7.html

All Bat Houses are Not Created Equal
http://www.batmanagement.com/Batcentral/batboxes/whyfail.html

Positioning Your Bat House
http://www.rusticgirls.com/installing-a-bat-house.html

From Bat World Sanctuary, Common Questions & Answers About Bat Houses
http://www.batworld.org/bcs/bat_houses.html

Sue

paul wheaton wrote:
I would like to hear from somebody with first hand experience in a bat house that does work.  I have yet to find a regular joe with a bat house with bats in it!

Ask and ye shall receive... http://www.refugestewards.org/files/bats/20080804BatGrooming.wmv

I had the camera zoomed all the way plus I was leaning against blackberries so it was really hard to hold it still.

Still photo:



Here is the entire thread on two of my bat houses: http://bathouseforum.org/forum/bat-house-with-slate-exterior-t479.html

There are lots of people on that forum with occupied bat houses.

Please also see my post regarding the serious trouble that bats (and whole ecosystems) are facing due to "White-Nose Syndrome": https://permies.com/bb/index.php?topic=744.msg11290#msg11290

well i know from time to time we find bats..generally hanging from trees or the sides of buildings..like maybe they just didn't make it home..or maybe some actually roost in trees or out in the wild like that??

there are tons of old barns and abandoned half falling apart houses in our county

For more "batty" discussion, check out "critter care" on this forum! 

Another bat info link:

http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/publications/bats.htm

News to me .... bats like sugar water?

Its an old thread but I am still working on integrating a long term bat sanctuary into a sustainable farm. I will renew this in a while with updated relevant information I have accumulated.

https://permies.com/t/9184/permaculture/Bats-effective-insect-control

Ever have one of those moments when you regret having the flash on your camera turned on?