The Bat House Journal is devoted to the conservation of bats by providing alternative roost sites for Earth's only flying mammal. Natural habitat is disappearing at an ever increasing rate, and these gentle and beneficial animals need our help. Bats are so unique that they have been assigned their own order. The order Chiroptera, Latin, meaning "hand wing", consists of almost 1000 species of bats living on every continent except Antarctica. Although bats account for 1/4 of all mammal species, many bat species grow closer to extinction each year because of our attitudes and inattention to their importance in our ecological system.

The primary objective of this group is to exchange information relating to bat houses and our attempts at providing alternative bat habitat, but we discuss all bat related topics. If you currently have bat houses erected, it's important to regularly monitor them and record your observations. Then, when something changes (increase/decrease in colony size, change of roost site, maternity activity, etc) you'll have a record to refer to and hopefully share with the rest of the group. If you don't have a bat house but are considering putting one up, we can help with any questions or problems you may have.

Periodically, new research information will be posted here as it is released. What percentage of tree mounted bat houses are occupied vs. pole mounted houses? What role does a nearby water source play in attracting bats to your property? Is the construction of the bat house itself a factor in occupation? Will bats interfere with your backyard birding? How can we protect our roosting bats from predators? Bats are fascinating animals! An open mind and 30 minutes is enough to dispel any of the myths we've all grown up with.

All messages are archived for easy reference to current and past topics. Our library of bat and bat house related links is dynamic and growing under several categories including links specific to educators and students.