Bats

“Goodness me how lucky you are!”

……and so we are. But living with wildlife has its penalties and responsibilities as well.

Friends from the city are fascinated by the variety of wild birds that frequent our feeding stations – and literally awestruck by the numbers of pipistrelle bats that circle our home – especially when the outside security lights attract insects and moths in great numbers.

The bats are of course protected by law and while we would rather they used the roof space in a nearby building for their roost we are resigned to securing our water tanks and covering the multitude of stored boxes in our lofts.

Bat corpses have been known to appear in cold water tanks that are not secure and there is nothing like the prospect of brushing ones teeth in diluted bat to concentrate the mind! The ‘mousey’ smell of their droppings also promotes a hygiene fetish with the roof space draped with plastic sheeting which has to be replaced regularly.

“Huh! “ I hear you say – “Lot of fuss over a couple of bats“

But it is not quite so, on a summer evening last year Mrs C . and I, together with two friends sat with glasses of beer and counted just over 300 bats leaving their roost at the back of our home – and that is a pretty good roost !

Now back to those birds on the feeding stations – they are of course a delight – but they too can create a mess – and a level of hygiene is essential if they, and you, are to remain healthy. A weekly wash of feeders and water bowls is advisable – nothing to get obsessed about, but a bucket of water and a stiff brush works wonders……and then there is the matter of left over food at dusk – and the nocturnal visits of rats and other vermin..…

You want to feed and attract birds – your neighbours would rather that your activities did not boost the local rat population so monitor your feeding and use good feeders well off the ground remembering that rats are clever and great climbers!