Bat House Forum

[Terry Lobdell]

Last night I came home from work about 12:30am. I checked my bat houses and had 5 little browns roosting in one house. They were all packed tight together in a row.

[Joe Spencer]

Fantastic observance Terry.  What have the temperatures been averaging in your area the last 1-2 weeks?  Have you had any nursery colonies in your bat houses or just bachelor?

[Terry Lobdell]

Joe, just in the last week it has been getting up in the 50's. yesterday in the high 70's, humid with a fair amount of insects flying.....

We had snow cover until last week........I'm thinking that these 5 are mothers the way they were roosting tight together in a row. They were in the same house tonight also........I now have 2 big browns roosting separately in other houses as well.

Last year including pups, I estimate I had around 60 little browns and 40 big browns.

Each year my bats seem to trickle back a few at a time. I'm guessing by mid May they have all arrived. Joe, have you observed the same with your bats?

[Joe Spencer]

I haven't had as many bats as you.  I've been getting first seasonal usage in mid to late april and sometimes as late as may.   To date I have yet to have a nursery colony at my latest residence so I'm very interested in their behaviour.  Your early occupancy or any for that matter coincides with females leaving hibernaculum a little earlier than males on average.  Thanks for the feedback.  :thumbsup1: