We couldn't resist a newsletter on "spooky" animals - bats, owls, raccoons, opossums, coyotes, flying squirrels and more! Nocturnal birds and critters aren't really scary. They are actually amazing creatures that have adapted to living in the dark.

Bats use echolocation along with their vision to fly and hunt insects with great accuracy. They will NOT get in your hair despite what you might hear! In fact, bats along with other nocturnal birds and animals do their best to avoid humans. Bats are extremely beneficial mammals, and we encourage you to help them out by erecting bat houses to roost in, as well as raise their young.Each bat consumes thousands of mosquitoes, moths and beetles each night! Check out GeorgiaWildlife.com for more info on bats in Georgia.

Owl merchandise is very trendy and everywhere now! Well, we've always thought owls were cool and we're glad everyone else caught on too! We really love these big-eyed, rodent-hunting predators! In Georgia, we have four species that breed - Screech, Barred, Barn and Great Horned Owl. Screech Owls are the most common and easiest to attract to your yard with an owl box placed about 15' high on a tree, filled with a few inches of wood shavings for nesting material. Now is the best time of year to put an owl box up since as the leaves fall, owls like to use them to hide from songbirds that will otherwise mob or harass them! They will roost in the box throughout the winter and nest in it during the spring.

Raccoons and

opossums are not as well loved. They can be pesky feeder visitors, eating too much seed, making messes and even running away with bird feeders. But we still love to watch their silly antics in the yard. If you don't want to encourage them, place feeders and houses on poles with baffles.