Bat Monitoring Effort Takes Wing | God's World News

Bat Monitoring Effort Takes Wing

01/04/2016
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    A technician for Wyoming Game and Fish sets up a net to catch bats. AP
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    Bats swirl out of a cave at dusk. AP
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    Captured bats are handled for as little time as possible during the study. AP
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    A silver-haired bat. AP
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They may have a reputation as spooky creatures of the night, but bats play a very important ecological role. That contribution is being threatened as the flying mammals' populations are shrinking.

A disease called white-nose syndrome has killed millions of bats. The fungal infection is spreading. So an effort spanning 31 states and 10 Canadian provinces recently launched. The goal is to track bat activity and numbers. Researchers want to better understand the creatures and the threats they face from disease, habitat loss, and even technological advancements such as wind energy development.

The North American Bat Monitoring Program finds the elusive bats by using acoustic surveys. They detect the high-pitched frequencies emitted by the winged mammals as they navigate in the dark, capturing bugs.

North America has about 150 species of bats. Of those, 47 are in the United States. Some migrate more than 500 miles. Others hibernate in caves or abandoned mines. Very few are well understood.

"Most of our bats are very small, they fly at night, and they're very difficult to study," says Susan Loeb. She is a research ecologist with the U.S. Forest Service in Clemson, South Carolina. "In the last 10, 20 years, we're getting better and better technology that allows us to learn about bats."

For example, acoustic monitoring at one time involved carrying equipment on a vehicle. Now a device can be hooked up to an iPhone. Scientists are trying to perfect software that identifies the bat species making the sound.

Researchers use low-tech methods as well. They count hibernating bats in winter. In summer, they count maternity colonies.

In five years, Loeb said, researchers should have enough information to spot trends.

"We know that many bat populations are declining, but we don't know the magnitude of that decline," she says. The information is important. Bats are thought to be a key component in maintaining healthy forests. That’s because of their huge diet of insects.

Scientists estimate the Brazilian free-tailed bat colonies in Texas often number more than a million individuals. The experts say those bats can consume more than eight tons of insects in a single night.

A more recent threat to bats, scientists say, is wind farms. Hundreds of thousands of bats die annually in collisions with spinning blades.

"We still don't know why," says Loeb. "Why can't they detect them? And how do we deter them?"

Scientists are trying to figure that out. Loeb says clues might ultimately be found in the bat monitoring program.

Meanwhile, scientists are also working to change people’s ideas. They want the public to see how beneficial the animals are.

Loeb is optimistic that those plans are working already: "The public perception of bats is changing as people learn how important they are and how fascinating they are."