Aussies praise homeowner's 'brilliant' shed idea: 'It took three years'
A homeowner's 'brilliant' shed idea has been praised by thousands of Aussies, many of whom say they can't wait to craft and install one of their very own.
Using a plastic plant pot, a pair of old jeans, cable ties, duct tape and rope, a Queenslander who lives in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, created a homemade bat roost and hung it in an open-air machinery garage.
'The landowner was originally planning to put this up outside, so the inner-pot has been sealed with tape to make it more waterproof,' a Sunshine Coast Council spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia. 'The jeans hang down so the bats can fly to them and then climb inside.'
While the property owner first thought of the idea three years ago, it wasn't until earlier this month, as torrential rain drenched the area, that they spotted a handful of winged creatures inside.
'After attending a Land for Wildlife workshop on wildlife nest boxes and hollow dependent fauna they decided to try and make one themselves,' the spokesperson explained. 'It took approximately three years before the local bats found it and started using it.'
Land for Wildlife South East Queensland is a voluntary program that encourages landholders to manage habitats for native animals on their properties. They also provide education and advice about threats such as invasive weeds and destructive pests.
At the peak of the heavy downpour, it appears there were six to eight long-eared bats taking shelter. Photos posted online show the 'gorgeous' animals clinging to the denim with their claws.
'As the rain eased off the number of bats reduced each day, with none using it a few days after the rain ended,' the spokesperson said, adding the property owner identified at least five microbes species living on their property using an ultrasonic recorder loaned from Land for Wildlife.
The long-eared bats seen using the makeshift home 'usually roost in tree hollows but are also known to roost in, or under houses and sometimes inside banana bags'.
The spokesperson said the idea originally came from Alan and Stacey Franks who started Hollow Log Homes, a local business that builds and installs nest boxes.
'During a Land for Wildlife workshop on building wildlife nest boxes, Alan suggested using common household items to build low-cost nest boxes. Other materials suitable for microbat roosts include raincoats, hessian, gumboots or old outdoor umbrellas.'
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Other Aussies agreed, with one sharing they often find bats hiding in their raincoats which are hanging outside. 'My husband hangs his overalls on the verandah line sometimes and it's not long before the little bats move in up the legs,' another commented.
Several people said they were eager to create their own roosts. 'We'd like to do this in an awning near where we've seen microbats roosting in old banana leaves,' one local wrote. 'This is the coolest!' someone else said.
Meng Tze Chia with Wildcare Australia told Yahoo the Sunshine Coast homeowner had 'created the ideal environment' for bats, which is a 'dark hiding spot, up high, with easy access to outdoors and in a space that is not regularly disturbed by human activity'.
'In fact, many of our microbat species have taken to living in man-made structures,' Meng said, noting that people living in old timber homes probably have long-time winged residents that they're unaware of.
'Unused pool umbrellas is a great favourite of the eastern broad-nosed bat, jackets and raincoats left in the back patio for a while make great hideaways, blinds and shades that have not been moved for a while are another favourite haunt.'
Meng said the best way to help native animals is to 'conserve and protect old growth trees' as tree hollows 'make great homes for bats and other native animals like birds, possums and gliders'.
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