Now that the weather is warmer and getting more humid, that means there will be a lot more bugs flying around at night! That also means MORE BATS! On hot and humid night, if you are out around dusk, please look up, you will be able to see bats without the aid of a bat detector. They are awake and feeding! As mentioned in previous posts, bats need to eat their own body weight in bugs every day when they are active and dusk is a prime bug feasting time! If you want to know where the most bugs are, look up at the street lights when they come on!

If you go out to observe bats, do you have a bat detector? Are you just doing it visually? Where do you go?

Bela! Bela! Bela! How do I love thee! Let me count the bats!

Since I was a child I was mesmerized by Bela Lugosi. There was something about this mysterious man and that voice! I find his presence soothing rather than creepy. For most you either know him for his 1931 roll as Dracula or from Ed Wood Jr’s Plan 9 From Outer Space. There is so much more to Bela than just those movies.

How was I introduced to Bela? It wasn’t either of those movies. The very first movie I saw him in was White Zombie, then Mark of the Vampire, The Gorilla and The Devil Bat. These movies played often on which ever one of the four channels we had. Possibly even on Saturday Night At The Movies with Elwy Yost. That’s right, we had four channels until I was sixteen (that’s when we got cable) and I’m old enough to have watched Elwy Yost. I miss Elwy Yost!

Long before Bela Lugosi became type cast, he was a silent film and theatre star! He also had a very interesting life, I highly recommend you do some reading up on him, you won’t regret it. Wikipedia has the condensed version, but you really need to read some actual biographies on him! One I can highly recommend is Bela Lugosi in person.

If you are up for a Bela Lugosi movie marathon, here are my top ten favourite movies! Some are even free on YouTube! (in order of year) If you want to pick your own movies, the list on Wikipedia is very thorough, do not look at the list on IMDB, it’s missing way too many gems. (below are either trailers or full movies)

Dracula (1931)

White Zombie (1932)

Mark of the Vampire (1935)

The Mystery of the Mary Celeste (1935) (released in the USA as Phantom Ship) 

The Gorilla (1939)

The Devil Bat (1940)

The Corpse Vanishes (1942)

The Ape Man (1943)

Bride of the Monster (1955)

Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959)

Each time I post, I am going to also suggest music that goes with bat adventures! Today I’m suggesting Christian D. He is not only one of my favourite Toronto musicians, he does a killer cover of Bela Lugosi Is Dead. Please go buy his music and help out our musicians. They need it now more than ever. https://christiand.bandcamp.com/album/bela-lugosis-dead

Type of bats: Large Brown Bats
No. Mosquito bites: 0

Here is a link I’ve created to all of our bat sightings.

Important: Do not handle bats. They can carry the rabies virus. Only those who have been properly vaccinated and have knowledge of bats should be handling them. If you find a bat in your home call a bat rescue. Do not call an exterminator, call a rescue. Bats are important for our environment. I have links below for rescues.

Types of bats in Ontario: https://onnaturemagazine.com/bat-guide.html
High Park Nature Centre: https://www.highparknature.org/wiki/wiki.php?n=Mammals.Bats
Bat rescues: http://www.ontariowildliferescue.ca/wildlifecentres/?care=bat