Stay in the know about wildlife, water quality, and ecosystems on Sanibel and Captiva Islands and in Southwest Florida
SCCF Builds Rocket Style Bat House
With Hurricane Ian, many trees were knocked over and lost, reducing the roosting habitat for island bats. With the building of a rocket box style bat house, SCCF is providing an alternative to these lost trees.
The rocket box style is unique to other bat houses as it provides a 360-degree area for the bats to roost instead of a typical 180-degree.
“This allows the bats to move around during the day to different sides of the house if it becomes too hot on one end due to the sun,” said SCCF Wildlife Biologist Mike Mills. “The house is also double-chambered, meaning there is an inner and outer layer they can move between for temperature regulation as well.”
The new bat house will be erected soon at SCCF’s Bailey Homestead Preserve.
“Bat houses can offset the loss of natural roosting areas, but you can do your part as well by allowing nature to take its course,” said Mills. “Leave dead palm frowns and Spanish moss to hang — these both provide vital natural roosting areas. You can also look into getting your own bat house.”
If you have any questions feel free to email Mike Mills at mmills@sccf.org.