Bats in the Belfry

As you know if you've been reading my blog for a while, I relish giving fun Christmas gifts. Preferably, it would be a gift that someone would actually like to have, but wouldn't buy for themselves. A few years ago, I bought a great gift for my dad that took the better part of a year to collect. Then I bought automatic car starters for a few people. Those are the good ones. I'm sure there have been bad ones too, but I can't remember them right now. Maybe that could be another entry??

So this year I bought bat houses for three people who could actually use them: Ricardo (for his cabin up in Wisconsin), Naperville Greg and Kleveland Kim (for their hunting grounds up in Wisconsin) and for my parents who have a home in northern Michigan. Each of them could benefit from a reduction in mosquitoes and other flying insects that would be associated with bats. Plus, bats are just freaking cool!!!

Here's a picture of the house:







It can hold up to 300 bats, has a mesh “landing area” at the bottom where the wood sticks out and has echo location slots (for easy finding by the bats). There are two chambers inside of it as opposed to it just being hollow.

Here are some bat facts:

Can bats have Rabies?

• Yes, but very rarely. All mammals are susceptible to Rabies.
• Infected bats are rarely aggressive and quickly die from the disease.

Are bat droppings a threat to me and my family?

• Bat droppings are no more of a threat to you than those of any other animal.

Why will bats choose my Bat House to live in?

• Mainly because, as we humans continue development, bats lose natural habitat.
• Bat houses provide bats with warm, safe places to live and raise their young.
• Bat houses are designed to be easily found by bats.
• Bat houses are designed for bats to easily land on and roost in.

Are bats a threat to me and my family?

• Bats do NOT attack humans
• Any wild animal is a possible threat to humans.
• Bats found on the ground are likely to be sick or injured and
  should NOT be handled as they may bite in self-defense.
• Bats do not attempt to get into people's hair.

A single bat can eat 500 to 1,000 mosquitoes a night.

Mother bats usually have only one offspring per year.

A baby bat is called a pup.

A single bat can live over 20 years, but the bat population growth is limited by the slow birth rate.

Happy Birthday to Joisey Ken!!!

Things I'm grateful for:
#46 my training in college as a Resident Advisor which urged me to take action in various situations. There are several people who might still be stuck in their cars in icy parking spots if I didn't.
#47 decaffeinated coffee. Sometimes I just want a warm drink!
#48 my dad's ability to make a turkey and my mother's mashed potatoes. Yum!!!