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Melinda Ryba
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Posted: Mon Jul 1st, 2002 08:39 pm |
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Is it possible for a single female to set up house with her pups by herself in a bat house and not in a nursery colony? I am 99% sure that the one bat in my bat house has two pups; it certainly looked that way last night when I checked. I saw two heads on either side of the adult bat which I assume is a female. The other night, I saw the adult in the bat house and what looked like a pup crawling across the mesh towards it/her and I heard a faint soft chittering that sounded like a baby bat to me.
I also want to know how others observe their bats. I can just see so much from the ground with my flashlight, and I have to think that the bats dont appreciate me poking that light in their eyes. Im frustrated because one reason I have a bat house is to observe them and it is almost impossible to do that. Hey, what about a clear bat house? Would'nt solar energy keep it nice and warm inside?
What do you all think????
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Joe Spencer
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Posted: Tue Jul 2nd, 2002 03:27 pm |
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Melinda I believe they do roost occasionally by themselves. Maybe someone else can shed some details on this. Tree roosting species females do roost solitarily. Since our colony roosting bats favor dark places I'm not sure a clear bathouse like a plexi-glass would meet with success and the direct rays of sun would probably deydrate them too quickly. I have had to wait for warm days when the bats were lower in the bat house to more readily see them. I have had my best success at sunset with a flashlight when the sky glare is gone about 30 minutes to an hour before bats emerge. I am pondering someday to put a small low-light camera inside a bat house to observe them. I believe these cameras have reduced in price and increased quality over the years and can be linked to a computer for monitoring. 
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Melinda Ryba
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Posted: Tue Jul 2nd, 2002 10:30 pm |
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Using a small camera would be a cool idea! I'll have to check out the prices; it would be such a kick to share pics of my bats! I didnt realize Big Browns (Im pretty sure that's what she is) roosted in trees, but Im glad they do because now that means she is a she and does indeed have pups. Yes, a plexiglass bat house would not work out; it would probably drive them away. And you're right; the hotter it gets outside (90's ugh!) the farther down they roost. In fact, they have been almost down on the apron of the house a couple times.
I will be more patient and wait around a half hour after dark. I will let you know how it goes and Happy Fourth of July to all my bat-loving friends out there! :usa:
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Joe Spencer
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Posted: Wed Jul 3rd, 2002 02:54 am |
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| Actually the big browns don't roost in trees, sorry for the confusion. Many other species do like the hoary bat which blends in beautifully with tree bark and Red bats which blend in with deciduous trees and even evergreen trees depending upon location. I was just trying to make the distinction that female bats rearing young which roost in trees are usually solitary (ie they don't form nursery colonies).
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