I have a new bat house I want to put up. I already have a 15 foot pole with a purple martin house on it in the middle of my yard. could I put a bat house on the pole also or wouldn't bats be attracted to it because of the birds ?
While theoretically it is possible to mount both on the same pole, it makes managing the purple martin house much more difficult. See article from The Bat House Researcher newsletter archives at http://www.batcon.org/bhra attached below:
Q. Can I mount a Purple Martin house and a bat house on the same pole?
A. While bats and martins share some of the same roost requirements (large unobstructed flyways, high roosts away from predators) and technically can coexist in separate houses on one large pole, this set-up would be difficult to manage properly for both. The Purple Martin Conservation Association of Edinboro, PA, recommends that Purple Martin landlords choose a pole that telescopes, or is equipped with a winch or lanyard so that the house can be raised and lowered vertically to conduct frequent nest checks. Repeated nest checks will not cause martins to abandon their young, although this would be disruptive for bats sharing the same pole. Another reason is that stationary and pivot poles make it difficult for martin landlords to control non-native nest competitors like the House Sparrow and European Starling. Stationary poles are fine for bat houses, and pivot poles are even better, but are intended for end-of-season maintenance only, after bats depart. Your odds of success in attracting and managing both bats and Purple Martins will be better if your housing is separate (and easy to manage).
Good luck, and thanks for supporting bat conservation!
