Bats in Flatwoods Park Bluebird Boxes

Story and photo by Mary Miller, Bluebird Box Trail Coordinator

John Miller, Sherry Keller and
Flatwoods Ranger Clint Perigard
install the first bat house.
Flatwoods Park Bluebird Trail has 56 Eastern Bluebird boxes, and we occasionally have a few bats that will roost in them. Several years ago, we even had a maternity colony of Evening Bats that had 11 pups in one of our boxes during their nesting season (April 15 – August 15), which is similar to the bluebird's (March 1 – August 15).

For the past few years, the number of bats occupying our bluebird boxes has been increasing. This year, we had six bluebird boxes taken over by Evening Bats. So, we thought it was time to build a few bat houses in hopes of getting our bluebird boxes back for the birds.


Florida has 13 species of bats, including the Evening Bat, and they are all protected under Federal Law. Bats eat more insect pests than any other animal and are especially beneficial to farmers for that reason. Mothers and pups are likely to leave their maternity area after their nesting season, so September was a perfect time to install the three bat houses and see if the bats would vacate our bluebird boxes and move into the bat houses.


Bats sometimes take years, if ever, to occupy bat houses. So it is going to be fun to watch for the first signs of bats moving into their new houses. Stay tuned!




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