Bob Wisecarver’s bat houses are a bit like snowflakes: No two are exactly alike. Each is designed to meet specific needs and utilize the mostly salvaged materials he converts to abodes for bats throughout northern California. His most unusual creation is a unique and extremely successful “bat cave” that provides a home for some 9,500 bats in the spillway of the Pardee Dam, northeast of Stockton. ...more

In Norway, several bat species roost in homes and other buildings, and homeowner complaints periodically find their way into the news media. Although often based mostly on unnecessary fears and a lack of knowledge, these complaints nonetheless produce bad publicity for bats. Local officials usually advise building owners to wait until late autumn, then refurbish the roof or other access points to prevent bats from returning. That can be good advice, but it can also be expensive. Plus, it leaves the bats in need of a new roost, which can simply transfer the problem to neighbors....more

Barbara French, a bat rehabilitator and Bat Conservation International’s Science Officer, listened for years to the sounds of the Mexican free-tailed bats in a small captive colony behind her Austin home. She (along with fellow rehabilitator Amanda Lollar of Mineral Wells, Texas) was convinced she was hearing much more than just random chirps and buzzes. “It seemed to us they were using a very complex system of communication,” French told the San Antonio Express-News. “All these sounds were being put together in ways that gave meaning to the content.” ...more