Buffalo Bat Habitat

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Buffalo Bat Habitat The purpose of Buffalo Bat Habitat is to establish and maintain stable habitat for bats in the Western New York region, to support their recovery.

Did you know October is Bat Appreciation Month? Here at Buffalo Bat Habitat, every month is Bat Appreciation Month! We l...
10/16/2026

Did you know October is Bat Appreciation Month?

Here at Buffalo Bat Habitat, every month is Bat Appreciation Month! We love to share our knowledge and passion no matter the time of year.

Learning also happens all year, and at all ages. You can find excellent bat books at your local bookstore. Today we want to shine a spotlight on a few of our favorites, available at Talking Leaves! If you are looking for your next bat read you can browse the shelves in person or online! Even if your book isn't in stock, Talking Leaves can usually get it for you within 3-5 days of your order.

First up, we have a book for our littlest bat lovers! 'That's Not My Bat...' by Fiona Watt (illustrated by Rachel Wells) is a sensory adventure for anyone who appreciates a good boardbook, no matter their age.

To order from Talking Leaves, click here! --> https://tleavesbooks.com/book/9781805316978

Next we have 'Bats at the Library' by Brian Lies! Brian's 'Bat Book' series follows a colony of bats as they get into mischief at the ballpark, the beach, and more! These rhyming books are perfect for both early readers and, of course, all bat lovers.

To order from Talking Leaves, click here! -->
https://tleavesbooks.com/book/9780544339200

Our last book (for now) is for the veteran bat lovers. 'The Secret Lives of Bats' is the memoir of Merlin Tuttle, the father of American bat conservation and founder of both Bat Conservation International and Merlin Tuttle's Bat Conservation.

Follow Merlin's path as he discovers his love for bats and turns his passion into a global conservation organization in this inspirational -- and fascinating -- autobiography.

To order from Talking Leaves, click here! -->
https://tleavesbooks.com/book/9780544815599

That's it for now, but stay tuned for more book recs, bat facts, and information on upcoming events!

Sincerely,
The Buffalo Bats

🦇🎶THANK YOU ALL FOR MAKING LUCI FEST A SUCCESS 🎶🦇We had an amazing turnout for a batastic day filled with music, communi...
10/11/2026

🦇🎶THANK YOU ALL FOR MAKING LUCI FEST A SUCCESS 🎶🦇

We had an amazing turnout for a batastic day filled with music, community, and conservation! On behalf of Buffalo Bat Habitat, we want to extend our gratitude to everyone who helped make Luci Fest: A Benefit to Save the Ripley Bat Farm, such a special event! The Ripley Bat Farm is more than just a piece of land. It signifies safety, growth and a hope for the future of some of the most imperiled and misunderstood creatures.

The Ripley Bat Farm provides critical habitat for a recovering maternity colony of ‘little brown bat’ - Myotis lucifigus, or Lucis as they are affectionately known. Once one of the most abundant throughout our region, these remarkable mammals experienced catastrophic population declines, and bore the brunt of the worst wildlife disaster in American history - White Nose Syndrome. The colony at Ripley, once numbering up to 2,000 bats, fell to below 40 before their journey of recovery began, with a current count of 353 bats, and slowly growing. Protecting this property means safeguarding their future, preserving biodiversity, and ensuring these incredible mammals continue to protect our night skies.

🦇💚THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO MADE LUCI FEST POSSIBLE💚🦇

Town of Elma: Thank you for welcoming us and hosting us at the beautiful Elma Village Green!

The Music
● 3rd Floor Productions, USA https://www.facebook.com/thirdfloorproductionsusa?
● Edge of Sundown — Thank you for an incredible performance! https://www.facebook.com/EdgeOfSundown?
● FMX: The Fleetwood Mac Experience — Your performance was missed, but your love and support are greatly appreciated. (Wishing you a speedy recovery!) https://www.facebook.com/thefleetwoodmacexperience?

Our Food Vendors:
● The Great Aussie Bite https://www.facebook.com/aussiebite?
● Smokin’ Pizza Pie https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558646806743
● Rhythmic Scoops https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560527564004
● Kornerstone Coffee https://www.facebook.com/KornerstoneCoffee?

Our Generous Door Prize Sponsors:
● Cabela’s https://www.facebook.com/Cabelas?
● Philipps Brothers Supply https://www.facebook.com/PhilippsBrothersSupply?
● Elm Street Bakery https://www.facebook.com/elmstreetbakeryEA?
● Blue-Eyed Baker https://www.facebook.com/blueeyedbakerr?
● Royal Fern Nursery https://www.facebook.com/royalfernnursery?
● Swiftwater Farm & Nursery https ://www.instagram.com/swiftwater_farm?

Special Thanks:
● Our friends at the Elma Senior Center, especially Camille Gilligan and Judy Wollen, for their kindness and support!
● Erie County Sheriff’s Deputy Malican for helping make the event safe and a success.
● Mark Caughel for his video production work.
● Michael Klepp for helping coordinate parking and logistics
● All of our dedicated volunteers, friends, families, and supporters who generously contributed their time and energy.

And a very special thank you to Lew and Dorothy Barnes, whose stewardship of the Ripley Bat Farm, has helped provide a refuge for these remarkable creatures. We are forever grateful for their life-long commitment, and partnership with Buffalo Bat Habitat for the opportunity to protect this extraordinary place for generations to come.

Bats are essential to healthy ecosystems. One bat can consume hundreds to a thousand insects each night, while supporting agriculture, and helping to maintain ecological balance in a damaged world. With species like Luci still struggling to recover from white-nose syndrome, protecting established maternity colonies and their surrounding habitats is beyond critical.

Every person who attended, performed, volunteered, donated, or helped spread the word brought us one step closer to permanently protecting the Ripley Bat Farm and changing public perception of bats.Your compassion, generosity, and dedication to conservation are helping ensure these protectors of the night sky, have a future in Western New York.

… most importantly, the bats and Luci thank you!🦇

https://giving.gofundme.com/campaign/815452/donate

PROGRAM CHANGE - PLEASE READ AND FORWARD!Due to illness, FMX: The Fleetwood Mac Experience will be unable to perform at ...
10/08/2026

PROGRAM CHANGE - PLEASE READ AND FORWARD!
Due to illness, FMX: The Fleetwood Mac Experience will be unable to perform at Luci Fest on Saturday. The event will still start at Noon. Edge of Sundown will take the stage earlier than originally planned and play for longer.

3 days till Luci Fest! You had questions, we got answers...
10/07/2026

3 days till Luci Fest! You had questions, we got answers...

Appointment TV! Today 10/6 at 3PM, Daytime Buffalo on WIVB Channel 4! Emmy worthy, for sure...
10/05/2026

Appointment TV! Today 10/6 at 3PM, Daytime Buffalo on WIVB Channel 4!

Emmy worthy, for sure...

10/02/2026

LUCI FEST IS ONLY 8 DAYS AWAY!!
Sorry for yelling, we could sing it instead...

10/01/2026

Let's Go Batfalo Sabres!!

09/28/2026

13 Days to L-U-C-I Fest!
Has anybody heard from Ben Affleck yet?

What a beautiful day to be out at the North Tonawanda Botanical Gardens! Thank you to everyone who stopped by our tent, ...
09/26/2026

What a beautiful day to be out at the North Tonawanda Botanical Gardens! Thank you to everyone who stopped by our tent, we’re always happy to talk about bats with new friends. 🦇

09/24/2026

If you have bats in your attic or elsewhere in your home and you‘re not sure how they are getting in, you have a waning opportunity to figure it out before they disappear for the winter. You or a contractor can then perform an “exclusion” to remove them from your home. This involves installing a tube or cone over an entry hole, which will allow a bat to exit but not re-enter. Once there is reasonable certainty that all bats are out, any entry points can be permanently sealed. If you do not take steps to seal the opening(s), you can expect the bats to be back inside your home come springtime.

As part of the exclusion, you may want to put up a bat house (in fact, we highly recommend you do so!). When the bats return and find they cannot get back into your house, they will seek a nearby alternative. Putting up a bat house is a great way to help the bats and keep them around to control the insects in your yard.

The best method for figuring out how bats get in is to catch them in the act of exiting your home. Go outside on a dry evening just before dusk and observe the upper structure of your home. Bear in mind that bats will not chew or claw to create openings, but they will take advantage of entryways that are already there. They are natural masters of contortion with very flexible skeletons and can squeeze through remarkably small holes, even just ½ square inch (about the size of a pinky finger).

Following are some of the typical places where bats might find a doorway to your home.
• Roof peaks: Look closely at the highest point of the structure where the siding, trim and overhangs come together. Sometimes a piece of material gets cut short, resulting in an opening. Also watch around gable vents installed near the peak. A vent is supposed to have screen on the inside to prevent bats or birds from entering, but it might be damaged.
• Ridge vent: Most homes today have a channel cut along the length of the roof, covered by some sort of vent product with cap shingles on top. Sometimes, roofers aren’t careful to make sure the vent is nailed tightly down, or high winds can cause the vent to lift away from the base shingles, or thermal expansion of the vent material causes it to buckle, creating a gap.
• Dormer roof to main roof: This is a particularly troublesome area, as the space under where the dormer roof and main roof come together is often very limited and difficult for a roofing/siding contractor to access. Gaps in tight corners are very common.
• Box style roof vents: The screen on the inside of the vent might be damaged, or even the box cover itself (perhaps by a fallen branch or chewing squirrel).
• Overhang soffits: Look for gaps along the underside of overhangs. An opening in the soffit allows direct access to the attic.
• Chimney to roof flashing: Metal flashing gets installed where the roof meets the chimney. Under the flashing there Is often a gap between the roofing material and the brick. If the flashing isn’t tightly formed to the roof and chimney with a crisp angle, it could provide an opening all the way into the attic.
• Animal damage: Ants and carpenter bees make small holes. Woodpeckers make big holes to eat them. Bats and other animals take advantage.
• Open or broken attic window: Umm, does this really need explaining?

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Buffalo, NY

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