If you’re a bug, this might not be what you want to hear. Bats seem to be making a bit of a comeback. At least, that seems to be an early indication from bat populations so far this year.
I was checking out the Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute Facebook page not long ago. They have some pretty interesting stuff there on the world around us. But I was looking in particular about any news on bats. They also had some interesting things salamanders and warnings to watch for turtle crossings this time of year, but I know they do bats, and I like bats.
I know not everyone likes bats. I blame Bram Stoker. He and his vampire gave bats a bad reputation, which is not really deserved. While they may not be cute and cuddly, bats eat bugs. I don’t like bugs. So it’s a classic case of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”.
And we won’t even get into the whole Covid thing. Bats were one of the first to get the blame for that.
But I will admit to a fascination with bats for many years. At one time there was an old barn behind my house. There was more than one evening when, just getting toward dusk, I would sit out back and watch the bats as they left their home for the evening. There were a lot of bats in that building. I have no idea where they went after the building was torn down. Other residents like raccoons and feral cats just found other accommodations nearby. Bats… not so much.
This was not long before white nose syndrome arrived and wiped out most of the bat population, so bat spotting has not been much of a thing for me lately. There were also a few other places I would watch bats, but again, the last few years there has not been much to see.
But according to the post on the MTRI Facebook page, they are seeing a few more bats this year. Not back to where we were before by any stretch, but more than they expected to see as they came out of hibernation this year. Not a full recovery, but still a good sign.
Hopefully this will continue and there will be many more little brown bats around to munch on even more bugs. And keep me entertained in the evening.
