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Joe Spencer
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| Joined: | Mon Feb 11th, 2002 |
| Location: | Massachusetts USA |
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Posted: Sun Mar 18th, 2007 11:32 pm |
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One of two megarocket bat houses and bases I built which are destined for an environmental spring fed swamp in my town. I was testing the bases today on a cold blustery day after heavy snowfall in my area. The bat houses will be placed on two small islands (highest ground) in the swamp. There are beaver lodges attached to the islands. Hopefully the beavers won't chew the posts. I may have to take additional precautionary measures for the latter.
Here is the 5 ft. base up close. As you can see it is made of pvc.
Below shows the two PVC bases. One is 4'x4' and a larger is 5' x 5' . I will be testing the stability and hopefully the 4X4 base will hold up as well.
Close up of the megarocket with 3/4" pvc piping spacers as suggested by Terry.
Below is a satellite photo of the swamp. Maybe you can see the two little islands (one small one larger) in the upper left area. The islands are slightly more elevated than the actual shoreline which is helpful during high water times. The bat houses will get plenty of solar exposure. This sat photo is from last summer or so and right now we're striving to get these houses up while the ice is still safe enough as a foot bridge. Will keep ya posted. Joe..
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Terry Lobdell
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Posted: Mon Mar 19th, 2007 06:24 am |
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Joe, that is an awsome looking rocket box! I like the bases too! If I were you I would definitely be concerned about the beavers knawing on those bases. I have a beaver dam behind my house and they try chewing on everything.........
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BatMan
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| Joined: | Wed Jul 28th, 2004 |
| Location: | Florida USA |
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Posted: Mon Mar 19th, 2007 11:01 pm |
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Joe,
Very nice. Have you considered once on site filling the base with sand or water. I guess the water could possibly be a problem since it appears that you drilled into the PVC. You could add a fill tube and drain to that set up and make it easy to move if need be.
I'm currently working on my new 4 chambered rocket, it's going to be a monstrosity, I'll upload some pics when I get a chance.
Where did you end up placing the 3/4'' spacers ? Just on the top and bottom where you could get to or did you devise a way to place them in the middle ?
Last edited on Mon Mar 19th, 2007 11:02 pm by BatMan
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Joe Spencer
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Posted: Tue Mar 20th, 2007 07:24 pm |
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Thanks. I'm also testing Kent's ventilation air movement theory. One of these rockets has small holes in the inner roof which will allow hot air to slowly rise out into the attic which has a built ridge vent and gable end vents. Obviously the latter will be the cooler of the two houses and I'll be anxious to see which one they favor. But first things first being occupancy first. The day I placed it on the post we had some extremely high winds and it didn't even flinch. I'm reasonably confident that it should be stable in the elements without any added weight from water etc. I also plan to hide the ugliness of the pvc by spot painting it with Krylon brown paint and I'll throw a little of the local sticks and logs on top as well. Indeed I'm worrried about the beavers too! Any suggestions welcomed. I had thought of using sharp drywall screws protruding to deter them but I'd rather not injure the beavers. I'll have to ponder this further. Batman the spacers are on the top and bottom slightly recessed. Wow! Looking forward to your megarocket pics! Hmm maybe this is worth a try or consideration for beavers:
To Deter beavers, paint with sand Hmmm
A new method to prevent tree damage involves coating tree trunks with a sand and paint mixture. Be careful for this method may damage saplings. To make this mixture use 2/3 cup of masonry sand to one quart of latex paint. Mix well and apply before the mixture dries. Paint the trunks about three to four foot high. The paint can be clear or color-matched to match the trees.
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Night_Flyer
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| Joined: | Thu Apr 7th, 2005 |
| Location: | Ringgold Ga |
| Posts: | 9 |
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Posted: Mon Mar 26th, 2007 12:51 am |
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| One thing you can do to stop the beavers on the poles is to cover them with flashing available at The Home Depot. Sorry, shameless plug from one who works there. They do not like chewing on metal which was something I learned from Backyard Habitat on animal planet. Also, you guys should do what is needed to create a Backyard Habitat in your yards. I know we focus on bats here, but habitat loss as we all know affects many animals. A bat house is part of an equasion. It is also part of my Habitat. Thanks to you all as I enjoy this site.
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Night_Flyer
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| Location: | Ringgold Ga |
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Posted: Mon Mar 26th, 2007 12:55 am |
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| ..........also, I have a Certified Wildlife Habitat sign in front of my yard which helps people near me appreciate that I also bring colorful birds and their songs into the neighborhood. Bats are just one part of what I do for wildlife. Maybe, they will be more accepting of a small part of a greater whole? Eh? Bats? All things must be in balance.
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Joe Spencer
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Posted: Mon Mar 26th, 2007 08:52 pm |
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Below are the first photos from the mounting of these mega rocket bat houses this past weekend:
Dr. Matt Lyon, myself and our daughters mount the mega rocket bat house. Can't forget their dogs (Frisbee lower left) had fun too!
Virginia assists as I secure the post to the base. I spray painted the white pvc base with spots of brown Krylon paint so it would blend in with the vegetation. I used left over oak flooring and dense counter top particle board which was so heavy it made for a nice heat retention core filler.
Dr. Matt snaps a photo of me going home across the thin ice after an eventful day of bat house mounting upon the islands. The ice was so thin that this was truly the last weekend in which we could have attempted the bat house mounting without a boat or canoe. Thank goodness for the toboggan and horizontal weight distribution for standing up straight on the extremely thin ice would likely have met with disaster:
Additional photos will follow in the future.
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Terry Lobdell
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Posted: Tue Mar 27th, 2007 05:18 am |
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| Joe, that looks great! How far apart will those rockets be from one another?
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Joe Spencer
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Posted: Tue Mar 27th, 2007 12:53 pm |
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I didn't take measurements but based on the satellite photo above with a home as a distance reference, I'd guess between 120-150 ft. or so. 
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Joe Spencer
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Posted: Thu May 3rd, 2007 07:09 pm |
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Small movie I shot of this endeavor. Alas, maybe someday I can afford a better camera with image stabilization but this isn't too bad I suppose:
Direct link to movie: http://www.vimeo.com/clip:182501
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Erik
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Posted: Fri May 4th, 2007 10:53 am |
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Hi Joe,
great stuff. I like the idea of bat houses on islands in nature reserves. Hope the beavers don't like the poles to much! 
Btw: when you use zoom like you did in your movie a camera with image stabilizer doesn't really help that much. Although your movie was pretty good and clear.
Good luck with checking out the bat houses by boat!
Erik
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Joe Spencer
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Posted: Fri May 4th, 2007 03:54 pm |
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| Ya thanks Erik. I need to have my neighbor monitor the beavers as I can't get back to the site for a while. Beaver's don't climb well but their choppers work darn well when they're at the base of a tree! I'd just need to staple some galvanized metal fencing around the bottom of the post to protect it. Beavers were nearly wiped out by trapping years ago in our country. What are the populations like in your area and how do they manage them if at all.
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Terry Lobdell
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Posted: Fri Jun 1st, 2007 02:18 am |
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| Joe, Do you have any activity in these 2 rocket boxes yet?
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Joe Spencer
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Posted: Fri Jun 1st, 2007 02:32 am |
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Terry, I just had minor foot surgery so I'm just starting to walk somewhat. As soon as I'm able, I'll borrow a small raft, float over and check on any progress. Hopefully have an update in 2 or 3 weeks. I just went there recently and checked the houses with binoculars and at least they're still standing as the beavers haven't gotten them yet!
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Terry Lobdell
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Posted: Mon Jul 23rd, 2007 04:30 pm |
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| Joe, how are these rocket houses doing? And how are your other bats houses doing this summer?
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