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Feeders drained every night - bats, I think (1 Viewer)

P

PumaMan

Well-known member
United States
For the past few days, my feeders are drained every night and I'm pretty sure that bats are the culprits. I have five Hummzinger dish-type feeders. If bats, then, from what I've read, it has to be either the Lesser Long-nosed Bat or the Mexican Long-tongued Bat. I haven't seen them in action yet. Anyone else have this problem? If so, any hints on what to do? I don't mind feeding them if they would eat from some other source -- like a pan or dish?
 
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Yep, the bats will be around for a few more weeks as they migrate south. I don't know if they will drink from a dish or pan. 2 things you could do. Take feeders down when it first gets dark, and hang again in the morning; or some people make a cage of field fence type wire to go around the feeders, large enough for the hummers but to small for the bats. If you purchased your feeders at a Wild Birds Unlimited store some of theirs have a plastic attachment that goes under the feeding port that bats and bees can't get through to the water. That is what I use, but must admit to putting out an oriole feeder just for the bats to use (haven't seen orioles here).
 
Thanks Lisa. I think I will just take three of the five down after dark and re-hang them in the morning. That will give the bats two feeders to drink from -- my contribution to their migration. o:)
 
Another thread I missed the update on. Chris, I haven't heard of sugar gliders being around Phoenix or south of there. I do know Arizona has both of the bats that Pumaman mentioned and they typically drink the hummer fluid as they head south from about mid-September to mid-October. I'll have to take a look at sugar gliders.
 
Well, the bats drained the 30-oz feeder overnight. I went out about 10:00 PM with a flashlight and finally saw several of them swooping around the feeder. Pretty interesting.
 
Wow, that is acutally pretty cool to me. I am sure if you have a bat problem
not so cool, but we don't see 2 bats a year.

I would have never guessed they would be attracted to a hummingbird feeder, the things ya learn.
 
smoothmotion said:
Wow, that is acutally pretty cool to me. I am sure if you have a bat problem
not so cool, but we don't see 2 bats a year.

I would have never guessed they would be attracted to a hummingbird feeder, the things ya learn.
Click to expand...

We have lots of bats that come out right at dusk from spring till now, it's just that they are the bug-eating varieties. These nectar-sipping ones that are migrating through are new to me. I don't mind them. Everything wild is welcome (up to a point, of course) and allowed to eat at our place.
 
Well, the bats are still here. My routine now is to take in four of my feeders just after dusk, leaving the full 30-oz feeder for the bats, which they drain before dawn. Since I get up way before sunrise, I put the feeders back outside at first light. We have a flood light right next to the 30-oz feeder that the bats feed from and every time I turn it on there are a couple of bats feeding and several others swooping around.

They are very interesting but I do look forward to them continuing their migration south. ;)
 
Interesting about the bats drinking from your feeders. I would have never thought that of bats. We have the small fruit bats around here that begin showing up around August just as the sunsets. For couple of weeks in early September my 4 feeders were being drained in a single day. Now I am wondering if may be the bats were the reason. The feeders usually drain within 2 days.
 
Backyard Sanctuary said:
Interesting about the bats drinking from your feeders. I would have never thought that of bats. We have the small fruit bats around here that begin showing up around August just as the sunsets. For couple of weeks in early September my 4 feeders were being drained in a single day. Now I am wondering if may be the bats were the reason. The feeders usually drain within 2 days.
Click to expand...

We have bats all summer long -- the ones that come out at dusk and feed on bugs -- and we still have them. These migratory necter-feeding bats that have been feeding from my feeders for the past month are new to me too.
 
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Just spotted this thread and thought you might like this photo, taken in Panama at the Canopy Lodge. I was told they were 'long tongued bats', didn't realise then that there were several speces.
 

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RobertaG said:
Just spotted this thread and thought you might like this photo, taken in Panama at the Canopy Lodge. I was told they were 'long tongued bats', didn't realise then that there were several speces.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the great photo. They're still here. Yesterday it was 96 degrees F and last night it didn't get below 70 degrees F.

That is the exact same feeder that I am using to feed the bats. |=)|
 
Well, last night the 30-oz feeder was only half-drained. We've had two relatively cool nights in a row -- approx 50 degrees F -- so maybe the bats are moving on south.
 
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