I'm just getting started and have read that the bat house should have an awning or shelter of some type. Then I read that you can place the house on a post. What gives?
If a bat house is built correctly, ie water tight etc it does not need a shelter. The shelter is the bat house itself. Bats have used the folds of awnings to roost in and when people open them often a bat will emerge or be seen. Bat houses are best mounted on building sides or poles. If you elect to mount them on a post or pole, they should be as sturdy as possible to reduce swaying in high winds. Also small bat houses don't work well on poles or posts. The only exception is the Rocket style bat house which has its thermal mass increased by the 4x4 post on which it is constructed. Nursery style bat house do work on poles or posts but have had more success when two are mounted back to back increasing thermal mass and giving bats more options. Here is a link to a large Rocket Bat house that I just built: http://batnic.org/bhfshare/foamrocket/index.html
