BatGuys Wildlife Update — April 7, 2006
Squirrels
Spring has arrived! We have been busy responding to calls for squirrel removal services in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. We found our first litter of juvenile squirrels in a soffit last week. Within the next 2-3 weeks these juveniles will be big enough to travel on their own.
Raccoons
Last week Mike and I each trapped our first two raccoons of the spring. Both were nursing females with young. One was taken out of an attic in Hingham Ma. and the other was taken out of a chimney in Smithfield RI. All of these Raccoons were taken to rehabilitation facilities. I am looking forward to getting more Raccoon calls as they are by far my favorite animal to work with. I'm hoping to be flooded with Raccoon calls in the next 6 weeks.
Skunks
Since the last update we have seen the number skunk calls reduced dramatically. The skunk's breeding season is finally over and the females are now carrying young and keeping a low profile.
Bats
With the arrival of warmer temperatures comes a major increase in bat activity. Large brown bats are waking up from hibernation. These bats will sometimes wake up confused and drop down into the living space of a house rather than exit through the attic. Over the last 3 weeks we have dealt with numerous calls from both Massachusetts and Rhode Island for bats flying around houses in the middle of the night. Please see our Bat removal page for more information of what to do if there's a bat in your house.
Attleboro Massachusetts Bat Removal
Yesterday I was called out to a home in Attleboro Massachusetts to remove a bat from a farmer's porch. When i arrived i was shocked to see that it was a small brown bat -Myotis lucifugus (small brown is a species, it does not refer to the actual size of the bat). Small brown bats are migratory bats. These bats spend the summer in our area and then migrate to caves in New York and the mid-Atlantic states in the fall. These bats usually return in late May. So to find a small brown bat in our area in early April is very rare. This could be a result of the recent warm weather but I think it is just an ambitious bat. Last year we saw our first small-brown bats on May 11th. After I removed the bat I inspected the attic and found no signs of bats in the attic.
Check back at the end of May for another Wildlife update.
Matthew Grady,
BatGuys Wildlife Services
