Just discovered a bat

[Cycledude]

Lots of them live in my barn, seems like more every year, I put up some bat houses about 30 years ago and think that’s what got them started. I was unaware that they flew south for the winter until it got mentioned in this thread.
But according to this website some bats do hibernate

Do Bats Hibernate?

For bats, caves can be a good place to avoid the sun and winter.

www.livescience.com

 

[plowhog]

How cold does it usually get?

Typical lowest outside temp is in the mid to high 20s. So a little above freezing in outbuildings.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

Probably will be ok. Bats are fantastic and misunderstood, they eat lots of insects and pollinate!
I made a bat detector from a kit...easy assembly. The microphone picks up their high frequency sound and converts it down to hearing range. In the evening you hear them "click-click" sound, and tell where they are.
View attachment 774238

 

[caver]

The bat discussion seems to come up at least once a year in here. Batcon is a good source for info Bat Conservation International / Ending Bat Extinctions Worldwide or even your state conservation department can likely help. I stopped caving (cave exploring) back in the early 2000's. You did the right thing not disturbing them as they burn up hibernation energy reserves when disturbed from their slumber. Now say Carlsbad Caverns? Those are Mexican Freetails and they fly south for the winter. I used to volunteer a couple times there every year.

 

[etpm]

Thanks for leaving your bats alone. They do eat a lot of insects. Here on Whidbey Island, which is a little north of Seattle, my wife and I watch them as the sun is going down, twilight, and we can see them dodging this way and that from our front porch. And we know they are eating mosquitos. Amazing that they can see with sound tiny flying bugs that I can't see at all.
Cheers,
Eric

 

[FordnMassey]

Hi,

Nice to hear the support for bats. All part of humans learning the share the planet with other animals and plants. In Australia, you can see them almost anywhere at the end of sunset, if you are tuned in to seeing them.

Just don't share living spaces with them tho, as they transmit some pretty nasty diseases, like Lyssavirus, Hendravirus, rabies and potentially the origins of Covid19.

There's likely to be some truth in the saying "batshit crazy".

FordnMassey, BVMS (aka DVM)

 

[oosik]

I have two bat houses. One for the liberal bats - the other for the conservative bats. ALL my bats fly south when the weather gets cold and there are no more bugs.

plowhog - leave the bat alone. There may be something wrong with him. This may be why he has not gone south.