Did you know that I can track birds and bats on the radar as they leave their roosts?

Birds usually show up in the morning hours as a “roost ring”, and in the summer, Purple Martins are usually the bird appearing on radar.

Around sunset, bats leaving their caves also show up on radar! They appear as a “burst” of reflectivity near a known cave, and the reflectivity disappears as the bats disperse.

I asked Matt Breda of Breda Pest Control if bats are common in North Georgia, and what other mammals are found in Metro Atlanta.

“So the big 5 that we deal with are rats and mice, gray squirrels and flying squirrels, and bats,” Breda notes.

Q: Rats and mice -- are they year-round? Or is there a specific season for them?

“Rats and mice, with Norway rats and roof rats and mice -- they are going to reproduce year round, they are going to be active year round. They don’t have a breeding season -- their breeding season is all the time.”

Q: Where would I normally find one in my home?

“The highest and lowest points, so in the basement or crawlspace, and then up in the attic are the two most common areas where we find rats and mice.”

Q: I’ve seen all the gray squirrels in my backyard. But at my house, we had to kick out a flying squirrel. I had no idea -- do they actually live here in Metro Atlanta?

“They do, it’s actually the Southern flying squirrels here in Metro Atlanta.”

Q: Do they actually fly?

“They’re not great fliers, they’re called flying squirrels but they’re more gliders. So any tree that is in close proximity, they’re going to get to that high point, and they’re just going to glide onto your roof line.”

Q: As an average person, would I be able to spot a flying squirrel?

“They are nocturnal, you very rarely see them. They are so secretive. When we go up into attic spaces, the only thing we ever really find is just a burrow hole, they are very secretive even about their droppings.

With gray squirrels, and rats and mice, they really don’t care. You are going to see their droppings all over the attic. But not with flying squirrels.”

Q: How often do bats tend to roost in our attics?

“Bats are going to hibernate in the wintertime, because they are prevalent insect and mosquito eaters. But in the wintertime, we don’t have a lot of flying pests, so they are a mammal that is going to hibernate in the wintertime.”

Q: But in the summertime, they are like “Hey how are you doin’? I’m here for the pool party.”

“They are absolutely out and about in the warmer months. Bats go through a reproduction phase in the springtime. So you have to be very careful because in the state of Georgia, we cannot kill, capture or harm bats.”

“Mom has to take care of those young. So if you exclude mom out of your house, but there are young bats inside, they’re not going to be able to fend for themselves. So you really have to be careful as a wildlife company to make sure you do not harm those immature young that are not capable of flight.”

Lighting Round -- Bat Facts!!

Q: When do bats usually come out?

“Night time! They are nocturnal creatures galore, so you’re not going to see them in daytime -- nighttime only.

Q: When do we see them during the year?

“Spring and summertime is when they are going to be more prevalent, they are going to hibernate in the wintertime because they are prevalent insect and mosquito eaters -- there’s no mosquitoes in the wintertime, very little flying insects. No food source? Go into hibernation.”

Q: Bats: Friend or foe?

“Friend! Because they eat so many insects, they are great pest control!”

Q: Favorite Batman Actor?

“Michael Keaton is the best Batman actor, and Jack Nicholson is the best Joker.”

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