Bats

[TerryLL]

Specifically, the Little Brown Myotis.

We've have had them here in great abundance in the past, but I have not seen one yet this year.

I sat out on the front porch the other night until about 11PM and saw not a one. Last year I would regularly see a dozen at a time swooping about in the late evening.

One managed to get into the house last year and it was a real adventure at 2AM to capture the poor thing and release it outside, all in my skivvies and a bit tipsy to boot.

I hope they aren't yet another casualty of our zealous pursuit to conquer nature in all its forms.

[Mrleft88]

Re: Bats

I've seen 1 bat in Florida since 2015 (Not including the ones with the red hats, confederate flags, and "Go Brandon!" bumper stickers).
Pesticides are bad for bats. Lots of pesticides in North Florida. LOTS.
In the Caribbean they were magnificent. BIG bats the size of house cats around the street lamps every where.
In CT and VT they were plentiful, but tiny little things the size of field mice.

[stromborg]

Re: Bats

I've seen a few so far this year, the weather up until the past week or so hasn't been particularly conducive to sitting out on the porch so I can't tell how strong the local population might be. Watching the seasons go by and thinking I might have a decent spot for a bat house, easy enough to put one together.

[Mrleft88]

Re: Bats

I've seen a few so far this year, the weather up until the past week or so hasn't been particularly conducive to sitting out on the porch so I can't tell how strong the local population might be. Watching the seasons go by and thinking I might have a decent spot for a bat house, easy enough to put one together.

Funny thing I read about bats here in Florida, is they like(need?) to be w/in less than a quarter of a mile of a source of water.
I know that there was no significant source of water near my place in CT, and I had tons of bats.
Here, I'm less than a quarter of a mile from the Suwanee river, but no bats. Plenty of mosquitoes, and other night flying bugs, which are taken care of to some degree by geckos, spiders, and Night Jars.
But I love to watch bats at twilight.

[sandtown]

Re: Bats

You can borrow some from our attic.

But yes, there are not nearly as many.

Not as many insects either - which may be related.

[Bernadette]

Re: Bats

over here, the Flying Fox colonies get a real hammering from new housing developments and crop dusting. its shameful how we treat nature. as a kid, we would go out each evening to watch the FF colony alight from the mangroves of Banana Island (on the Johnstone River where we lived). they would fly low over our place in a great unhurried black winged mass, ducking and weaving in and amongst themselves. I loved the spectacle.

[Lugs]

Re: Bats

And you can have some of ours. Flying foxes we call them. About 3' wingspan