Accommodations for Local Bats

Larry and Debbie Bishop are 19 year Bent Tree residents. In recent years they have a growing interest in our natural environment. They are supporting our local wildlife by planting more native plants and adding blue bird houses on their property. The bat house is a welcome contribution to the community

Larry Bishop is getting a new nickname – Larry ‘Batman’ Bishop. If you’ve driven over the dam recently you can see where the new name came from. On the back side on the north end you will see what’s been added; a ‘two chamber rocket box’ bat house. The design and building plans came from Bat Conservation International (batcon.org).

Larry has an affinity for things that fly. He spent 11 years as a Marine Corps Naval Aviator, flying F4 and F18 jets. Military service was followed by 32 years as a Delta pilot. Larry and his beautiful wife Debbie moved to Bent Tree in 2006. Given his background, it’s not surprising that Larry would take up the challenge of building a home for the world’s only flying mammal.

Bats are mammals in the Chiroptera family, which means “hand wing”, and are indeed the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Their wings are not like birds’ wings, they are actually long thin fingers covered by a thin membrane. With superior maneuverability they can catch small insects in mid-air. Their aerial acrobatics has been described as ‘swimming’ through the air. There are fascinating slow-motion videos of bats flying available to view on-line!

Bat populations are in decline, so efforts to preserve and expand their habitat options are needed. Foreign disease and habitat disturbance are the biggest threats to bats. The house might get used this winter for short stays, but more likely will be inhabited next spring as pregnant females gather together to raise their pups in a ‘nursing colony’. Bats only have one or two babies, or pups, at a time and are dedicated mothers.

The placement of the house was guided by advice from the bat experts.

· Number 1: Place in a sunny location near a water source. Bats drink ‘on the wing’, meaning they fly low over the water and use their tongue or lower jaw to scoop up a drink. So they need long bodies of water nearby. The dam is one of the most open and sunniest areas in Bent Tree and of course, Lake Tamarack is right nearby.

· Number 2: Be 20 feet from a branch. Bats drop down to take flight. When they first emerge from the house they are vulnerable to predators waiting on nearby branches. This distance ensures the bats have the chance to evade owls or hawks that might be perched nearby.

· Number 3: Be 15 feet off the ground. This house is installed on a steel pole that was sunk and cemented into the ground. Travis Bryan and his crew with the Grounds Department had all the right tools and expertise needed to raise the house. The high-powered auger and the bucket truck made quick work of getting the house securely standing.

We also wanted to install this where it would be visible and its’ inhabitants with their aerial acrobatics could be enjoyed, yet it would be out of the way. Out of the way of golf balls, fireworks, people and pets, and potential future building projects.

Bats like their sleeping quarters thin. These chambers will accommodate up to 250 bats and has internal access points for occupants to move around once inside the house.  The narrow width of the chamber also makes it undesirable for wasps who like to make puffier nests than these chambers will accommodate.

From an idea planted almost 9 months ago, it was a long road to finally getting the bat house raised on Oct 21. Considering the center pole sleeve and the roof, the house is almost 5 feet tall. The wood inside of both chambers is grooved so the bats have a good grip. By my calculations that is 2,640 grooves, all custom cut every ¼ inch and sanded for splinters. Showing it as a work in progress at the spring 2024 Tamarack Treasures definitely provided great encouragement with the enthusiastic response from everyone who stopped to admire it. With determination, the house was finally finished in late August of 2024.

“Wormy Chestnut” refers wood from the American Chestnut trees killed by the chestnut blight of the early 1900s. They were damaged by insects, leaving holes and discoloration in the standing trees before they were  harvested and converted into lumber. Wormy Chestnut is decay resistant and the insect damage gives the wood character.

There are several custom touches that make the bat house extra special - the bat emblems on the sides make sure that admirers understand what the structure is. A very personal touch is in the roof of the house. It is made from wormy chestnut that Larry and Debbie found in the attic of Debbie’s childhood home. It is believed that Debbie’s father bartered for the wood while working as a phone company lineman in the 1960’s. According to Larry “I’ve incorporated this wood into my latest woodworking projects to pay tribute to Debbie for her patience during the time I spend in the shop and the inherent beauty of the wood. I used the wormy chestnut to trim out the roof to add a bit of rustic character.”

The bat house was raised on October 21st with the help of the BTCI Grounds crew and a bucket truck.  Pictured left to right are Kenny 'Robin' Sinclair, Travis Bryan, Larry 'Batman' Bishop, David Lowery, Jamie Godd, and Sawyer Snell. Not pictured: Larry Watkins (BTCI Roads Department)

Working with the BTCI Grounds Department, several locations were considered before the final location was selected and the method of mounting it was determined. Ken ‘Robin’ Sinclair helped push the project over the finish line with an assist transporting and painting the 20-foot steel pole. This project highlights what is special about Bent Tree – residents who love the community and volunteer their time and talents to improve it, administration who are valued partners in these efforts, and the amazing nature that we are blessed to share space with.