Gabi's Baby Bat Creche and Adult Release at Batavia

by Gabrielle Friebe from Bats Qld

batsqld.org.au

Batavia is a bat creche recently constructed at Woodford, on the way to the Sunshine Coast on Queensland.  2010/2011 bat season has certainly presented us with a few challenges with babies, flooding, extreme weather conditions and more.

 
Challenges were fairly well to be expected when we think about the delay in getting the release aviary up and running due to weather with still a lot of necessary features ‘undone’. We had to fishing net the whole aviary inside, install more noodles and cover them as well of course for soft landings.

We also had to set up a post release feeding station for our released friends to easily access food once they had been given a taste of freedom. Then the recycled tin we used for the roof was just hopeless with the crazy weather so we replaced that with new tin to keep the young bats in the small aviary dry.

To date we have released (adults and crèche juveniles) 43 Black Flying Foxes and 18 Grey Headed Flying Foxes. This includes our adult release and crèches 1, 2 and 3.

Pretty good effort for a small, new group like ours. I am very pleased to say that our release facility has worked a total treat. There is not a great deal we would change really except for getting a fall on the slab to drain away water a bit better.