Bats: Nature's Insect Control

Why Should We Provide Bat Houses for Bats?
Bats have long been disliked by humans -- shunned and thought of as a taboo creature. Some consider them ugly ("a face only a mother could love"), furry little animals that fly and seem to be half-bird and half-mammal.
With proper education and communication, humans are giving them their proper recognition as valuable to mankind in the ecological system. Many night-blooming plants, such as bananas and saguaro cactus, are dependent upon bats for pollination. Give bats credit for helping to reseed tropical rain forests through their inadvertent dispersal of seeds.
Their most appealing feature is their enormous capacity for consuming insects. A nocturnal mammal, they eat when the insects are out, in contrast to birds, which eat during the day. Some bat species consume half their weight in one night -- as many as 600 or more gnat-sized insects in one hour!
The most common bat in North America, the brown bat, can eat 3,000 to 7,000 mosquitoes each night, and a bat can live to be 20 years old. That's a pretty effective insecticide, especially when you consider that they do not poison other creatures or create holes in the ozone layer.

Bats are Cute!
Bats are harmless to people. They do not become tangled in your hair, nor do they attack humans. They are far less prone to be rabid than your everyday household dogs and cats. "In more than four decades, public health records indicate that only 16 people in the United States and Canada have died of bat-borne diseases. Placed in perspective, this means that the odds of anyone dying of a disease from a bat are much less than one in a million. In contrast, in the USA alone more than 10 people die annually from dog attacks, not to mention dog- and cat- transmitted diseases." (Dr. Merlin D. Tuttle America's Neighborhood Bats, Univ. of Texas Press, Austin, 1988.
There are approximately forty species of bats throughout the United States and Canada, the most common being the little brown bat.
In Asia, bats are symbols of good luck, long life, and happiness. They are meticulous in their grooming, spending much of the day and night combing  their fur. They generally congregate with their own gender.
Bats are the second most common land mammals, with rodents being first. As they fly, they navigate by means of a sophisticated echolocation system. The bat sends out signals of sound energy, which are reflected back, giving it the location of an object as well as its texture and other characteristics. They can avoid a single human hair with extreme accuracy, even in total darkness, giving lie to the myth that bats are blind.

Bat Housing Crunch
Places for bats to roost have become increasingly limited as their favorite old hollow trees, barns, and old houses disappear.
Bat houses have narrow crevices at the bottom for bats to enter and rough surfaces inside for them to hold onto. A bat house should be hung at least 10 to 15 feet above ground, sheltered from the wind, and unobstructed by items that would inhibit their flying, such as power lines. To keep the interior very warm, place the house on the side of a tree or building which receives maximum sun, especially in the morning. If your location is not sunny enough to warm the house to the 80-100 degrees Fahrenheit required by nursing colonies, you may want to add tar paper or dark colored shingles to the bat house roof. Do not paint it, as paints and stains are toxic to the bats. However, a cooler location may attract a colony of bachelors, who frequently prefer cooler roosts.
Bat boxes located near a source of water, especially a marsh, lake or stream, are the most likely to attract bats, as this habitat provides the insects needed for their food. Twelve to eighteen months is a common waiting period for bats to move into a new house. If you hang your bat house in the fall or winter, it may be occupied in the first active season. If it is not occupied within two years, try a new location. If bats live in your area and your bat house is appropriately located they will find it.
During the winter months bats living in Canada and the northern two-thirds of the United States migrate south or to nearby caves to hibernate, as most bat species cannot survive subfreezing temperatures.

Conservation
If bats are to survive, they need our help and protection. They have proven themselves as valuable members of our ecosystem, and we must increase the awareness of people who have the ability to protect or to destroy these little creatures. A bat loose in a house is probably a young one who is lost and looking for a way out. He should not be killed, but gently caught with a towel and allowed to escape without harm. Bat colonies in warm attics can be evacuated safely and encouraged to take up new residence in a bat house of their own.
Cave explorers should not disturb the caves of roosting bats, as rousing them from their hibernation may cause them to use up much of their stored body fat and die before spring. Unfortunately, thousands of bats have been destroyed this way.
Bats are declining, world-wide, at an alarming rate, due to human misunderstanding. They typically have only one offspring per year, making their comeback a slow process in need of our help. Coveside Conservation Products is a supporter of Bat Conservation International, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public about these beneficial animals and helping to conserve them.

Products
Our bat houses are handcrafted of select, kiln-dried Maine White Pine for durability, attractiveness, and insulation qualities. The walls are thick to keep the interior warm and rough-sawn to provide a surface for the bats to cling to.
Inside are several partitions, because bats like narrow spaces, and this allows more surface room for roosting bats. The house is open at the bottom to eliminate the need for cleaning, and to prevent birds from nesting in their house.
The bat house is not painted or stained, because these chemicals are toxic to the bats. The pine wood will weather nicely to an attractive silver gray color which will blend in nicely with the outdoor environment.

Mounting Instructions
First, decide where the bat house is to be mounted; then place a nail or screw into the tree, pole, or wall so that the head is sticking out 1/4". Hang the bat house by placing the metal hanger (located on the back of the bat house) over the nail or screw. After the house hangs securely, drive a nail or screw through the bottom of the board.

Thank you for caring about North America's bat population.

Source: Coveside Conservation Products

Woodpeckers: how to prevent damage to house siding?

Woodpeckers

How do I keep a woodpecker from pecking at my house siding?

From The Today Show on NBC: 

String fishing lines randomly across the area where the woodpeckers are attracted and since they do not want to be tangled they will avoid the area.


Flicker House and Woodpecker Houses  from BirdLodges.com

Birdhouses - When and How to Clean Out Nest Boxes

How to Clean a Bird House

Tips for Cleaning Bird Houses

By Melissa Mayntz, About.com Guide

Ads:

Remove all old nesting material when cleaning bird houses.

Birders who know how to clean a bird house are taking steps to protect their backyard bird families from pests and disease while making their bird houses even more attractive for new nesting birds. Like cleaning bird feeders, cleaning a bird house is essential for good bird health and safety.

Why Clean Bird Houses

Just like a dirty, damaged bird feeder, a dirty bird house is less attractive to backyard birds. Dirty bird houses can also harbor rodents, insects, feather mites, fungus and bacteria that can spread disease to nesting birds. Cleaning a bird house minimizes these hazards and makes the home more attractive to nesting birds, and a clean bird house encourages reuse with either the same bird family or additional birds looking for suitable nesting sites.

When to Clean

Ideally, a bird house should be cleaned after the nesting brood has completely fledged and no longer returns to the nest. For many bird species, a single cleaning after the end of the breeding season is sufficient, but in temperate regions where birds may raise multiple broods the bird house can be cleaned between each new family to encourage more nesting. If you aren't sure whether the house is occupied or not, tap gently on the sides or roof to listen for responsive scufflings or cheeps, or peak inside the house carefully through the roof or movable side to check for nestlings. If the birds are still present, wait at least another week before checking again to give them plenty of time to vacate the home.

How to Clean a Birdhouse

To thoroughly clean a birdhouse…

1.           Open the bird house or partially disassemble it for proper cleaning. Bird houses with swinging sides, hinged roofs or removable fronts are the easiest to clean.

2.           Remove all old nesting material and scrape out any feces or clumped matter. This material should be disposed of in a plastic bag to prevent spreading any parasites it might harbor.

3.           Scrub the house thoroughly with a weak bleach solution (one part chlorine bleach to nine parts warm water). Be sure to scrub all corners, the entrance hole and drainage and ventilation holes.

4.           Rinse the house well in clean water for several minutes to remove all traces of bleach.

5.           Dry the house thoroughly in full sun for at least several hours. This will break down any remaining chlorine and ensure there are no moist crevices for mold or mildew to grow.

6.           Inspect the house for loose hinges, protruding nails or screws, prominent splinters and other hazards that can injure adult or hatchling birds.

7.           Check that all ventilation and drainage holes are unobstructed.

8.           Reassemble the house securely and check that all screws and joins are tight. If the house converts to a winter bird roost box, assemble it in that configuration after the breeding season ends.

9.           Store delicate gourds or clay bird houses for winter so they will last longer, or return wooden bird houses to their hooks or posts so they can be used as roost boxes for cold winter nights.

Birdhouse Cleaning Tips

To ensure that your bird houses are as clean and safe as possible for your nesting or roosting backyard birds…

·                        Buy bird houses with movable or hinged panels that are easier to clean without weakening the structure of the house.

·                        Leave clean bird houses up for winter roosting and clean them again in early spring so they are ready for breeding birds.

·                        Also clean the post or hook where the bird house is positioned to remove any lingering pests or bacteria from the area.

By cleaning a bird house properly, including duck houses and owl houses, backyard birders provide a safe, happy home for their backyard birds.

Source: www.about.com

Owl Houses and Fun Facts About Owls

Whoooo knew?

The belief that owls can turn their heads 360 degrees is almost true.  Having twice the number of cervical vertebrae as humans allows them to turn 270 degrees. 

Owls have eyes that are proportionally larger than other birds when compared to body size.  Being nocturnal, this assists with night vision. 

Hearing is enhanced by having offset ears on either side of the head.  An owl can tilt its head just slightly to hear within a larger range.  The shape of the owl’s face also assists in hearing; the rounded shape funnels sounds to the ears. 

The talons on an owl lock in place after grasping prey, allowing for a more secure hold on the next meal while flying to a safe place.

 One of the most fascinating features of owls is their ability to fly silently.  The top feather of an owl’s wings is covered with a very fine row of feathers which muffles any swishing sound made while flying. 

Owl Houses from BirdLodges.com, for Barn Owl, Barred Owl, Screech Owl, and Saw-whet Owls.

Black-bellied Whistling Duck - Mexican Whistler Ducks

May 2013

It's that time of year!  The Black-bellied Whistling Ducks are ready to nest - are you ready for them?

These ducks use the same size nest box as the Wood Duck, whose breeding season is the opposite of the black-bellied.

Black-bellied whistling ducks arrive in May and may stay through September when hunting season begins. By May the wood ducks have vacated the nest box making it available for the black-bellied ducks, also known as Mexican Whistlers.

If you are interested in providing a house for the black-bellied whistling ducks, here's a photo and a link to our website:

http://www.birdlodges.com/black-bellied-whistling-duck-house.html

Thank you for caring!

Adobe Edible Birdhouse

We have a new collection!

Introducing our Adobe Edible Birdhouse; the perfect bird seed house for Southwest decor fanatics and hungry wild birds, too.

http://www.birdlodges.com/adobe-edible-birdhouse.html

Floating Duck House

When we first heard of a Floating Duck House we wondered, "Who would need that?"  It turns out they are quite popular for people who have their own ducks and their own small body of water, such as a lake or pond.

This one is built like a fort and will last for years.  It arrives in three packages and should take about 15 minutes to assemble.

Looking for products made in the USA?  Here's one!  http://www.birdlodges.com/floating-duck-house.html