Bat houses

[LynneP]

We have old barn board and I watched a television show recently about how the rough surfaces of the boards are perfect for the inside of bat houses. We'll be making some for the 'Keen's little brown bats' that are common here- great way to reduce insects. So don't throw yours away or burn them until you select some for the bats.

If some of your have already constructed bat houses, I'd love to see pics...

http://free.woodworking-plans.org/diy-bat-house.html

http://www.batworld.org/bcs/BWbathouseplans.pdf

[perchy]

I love bats, we have had bats round our house for years, but I do not know where they live, they come back year after year, it's lovely to sit in the garden and watch them as the evening gets darker, good luck

[LynneP]

I enjoy them too, we get them on warm evenings at deck level. We can see them eating against the yard light. Ours spent winters in an underground mine across the highway or in one of numerous caves in the hills here. There's a massive cave complex in the community of Maitland that is protected and gated with steel bars to let the bats enter and exit. We have a larger species too, can be quite startling to watch, like and eagle among sparrows.

[Meanqueen]

I can sit outside at dusk and watch them here, as well. Twice I have found injured bats in the garden. The first one I had to drive 50 miles to meet someone from a bat sanctuary who took it off me. She said if they couldn't repair it's damaged wing it would live out the rest of it's life with them. The second one, the RSPCA came and collected it. I now have a phone number of a bat rescue place not too far away so I will give them a ring if I find another one.
Ilona

[LynneP]

It would be interesting to learn how to help them...like a hospital bat cave...heh