Bats in the belfry and other places...

We have bats! They come to the hummingbird feeder after dark, a blur of cinnamon brown instead of the darker and smaller ones that I'm used to. This guy to the right is the lesser long nosed bat and is endangered. But I'm not sure if it's this type that drains our feeders every night. The bats seem unusually large but it's hard to focus on them since they take a drink and are off, not like the hummingbirds who drink for several seconds or longer. I took this information off the fish and game website:

The three species of long-nosed, nectar-feeding bats that may be seen in the U.S. are: the Mexican long-tongued bat (Choeronycteris mexicana), the lesser long-nosed bat (Leptonycteris curasoae), and the Mexican long-nosed bat (Leptonycteris nivalis). All three are a little over three inches long and weigh from seven-tenths to four-fifths of an ounce. Although all three species overlap in range in Mexico, the Mexican long-nosed bat is not likely to be found in Arizona since it generally appears in the U.S. only in Texas around the Big Bend area.

So how do I identify these nighttime marauders? Their arrival is normally around 7:30. When I turn on the lights they fly away. I've thought of getting a nighttime video camera to set up but that seems expensive. My neighbor takes her feeders in at night to prevent the bats from draining them. I considered it for a moment and then thought, why not let the little guys have their nectar? It's only sugar water and if it helps them survive I'm all for it. 

In any case it's been an added pleasure of our new found life here in the Sonoran desert. Every day we seem to find out some new and astounding fact about the wildlife here. Now if only the gnats would get eaten by the bats I could once more sit outside in the evening with my glass of wine and contemplate the mountains. 

Bugs

Bugs have begun to take over my peace of mind. I guess it's to be expected when the humidity is over 50%! Two days ago Buddha, our standard poodle, rushed into the house and jumped on the couch as though being chased by bandits. His panting and dilated eyes had me searching the property looking for snakes. I did not find any. But in the panic of a newly arrived Arizonian I packed him in the car and headed toward the emergency vet.

A few minutes later I received a call on my cell phone from my husband while speeding(and I do mean speeding in the full sense of the word)  down Oracle Rd. A wasp has been taken down by Birdy, our visiting standard poodle, and then stepped on by Jim. Birdy was also stung but only once before she grabbed the tiny insect in her mouth. When she spit it out it was Jim's turn to wreak vengeance."Take that!" he yelled,  stomping down on it with his heavy boot.

Meanwhile in the car,  I turned to look at Buddha in the back seat. He stared at me, his eyes perfectly normal, with a look that says, "where are we going and why?"  I turned the car around. It's way past time for wine.

Today while pulling weeds out of the proposed spot for my vegetable garden I disturbed a nest of bees. I ran, batting at them with the weed I had just pulled up, but one was already stuck in my hair. Stung. We watched the swarm from the dining room window. They've taken over the hummingbird feeder despite my inept attempts to chase them away with the hose. But now it's impossible to tell where they came from. And without knowing where to shoot the poison we're in a definite dilemma.

While walking up on the ridge behind our house I've been assaulted by gnats who want to fly into my eyes. Their persistence keeps me from stopping to take in the view or sitting down for a moment in contemplation. Instead I'm power walking as quickly as possible in 90* + heat, heading for the safety of the house!

Crossing the road in the hundreds are yellow hornworms. (sort of like this one but not quite) Jim swerves the car to avoid them almost causing an accident. Later I find them devouring weeds on our property. I don't mind them at all and I'm sure they will turn into beautiful butterflies.

Yesterday morning we awoke to an infestation of flying ants on our walkway and driveway. There were literally thousands of them! I swept them off the walkway with the broom. Two hours later they were gone. Will they be back? Who knows? I thought flying ant season was over a month ago...

Where are the bats, the snakes, the lizards and all the insect eating creatures I know and love? We need them now.

As much as I find every part of our life here interesting, I will be glad when the humidity drops a bit. As soon as the sun goes down we'll be searching for the ground-dwelling bees/wasps--hope we discover their lair--I need to plant my seeds!