Monday, January 25, 2010

I Get A Little 'Batty' At Times





I've always been fascinated with bats. You don't see them that often because they are nocturnal. And in the areas which have winter, they are in hibrenation during the colder months. They do man a great service by eating a ton of different insects. A bat can eat as many as a thousand mosquitos in an hours time. There lifespan can be as little as 3 years to as many as 30 years. They have their own built in sonar for detecting objects as they zoom around in the dark.

I built this bat house last spring and put it up about 12 feet in the air. It is facing the south so that it gathers more heat during the winter months, while they are in hibrenation. It is made of rough sawn cedar to allow more grip for their little clawed feet. It has two chambers and ventilation holes.

These little guys are dissappearing at an alarming rate. We should do what we can to help them survive because they play a major role in the big picture. X.

5 comments:

  1. OMG!!! Not one of my favorites. I can remember walking down the street and holding my arms over my head as they were whizzing around me. I do agree with you that they do serve an important purpose, but I just don't like 'em.
    Mary

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  2. Have to agree with Mary... not one of my favorites either, yet goodness what a great picture against the sunset. beautiful

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  3. I love bats! We have one of the largest populations of one kind (can't remember the name at the moment) in the Valley here, where I live. If you go down to the river at sunset in the summer, you see them feeding on the mosquitoes - it's wonderful!

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  4. I love going out in the evening and watching the bats flitting about the dusky sky, there's something awe inspiring about it. My favorite experience was on Mackinaw Island, which has many actual bat caves... kind of like the first comment actually, but since I remembered how amazing their sonar is, it was kind of like playing "chicken" with them. Walk down the street, watch how close they'd come, comfortable in the knowledge that they wouldn't run into me. Yay bats!

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