Bats Northwest

Are you struggling with a bat colony living in your building? There are bat-friendly options for managing bats in buildings. We have a free guidebook on our website www.albertabats.ca/resources

Summertime is the time when bats are raising pups. Wait until autumn when bats disperse to their hibernation sites! This simple action can save bat lives.

Take a good look at the ceiling of the cave above the flying bat.

No, you’re not seeing compacted soil, rock, or any other substrate. You are looking at a ceiling that is completely covered in bats.

These are Indiana bats, an endangered species that roosts in large groups. In winter, Indiana bats hibernate in caves and mines. They are highly concentrated during hibernation, with 72% of the population hibernating in just four sites across three states (although they do range across more than three states).

📸Andrew King/USFWS

“Specialization in nectarivory ... is restricted to two subfamilies of neotropical phyllostomids,” Glossophaginae and Lonchophyllinae. Within subfamily Glossophaginae, nectarivorous Leptonycteris "are the most important pollinators [of] Agave," a genus contributing “over 70 traditional uses … classified under 22 categories;” e.g., alcoholic beverages including and mezcal.

Learn more @ https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-50059-6 ://ri.conicet.gov.ar/handle/11336/157376ttps://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ppp3.10532, https://ri.conicet.gov.ar/handle/11336/157376

© Tom Vezo

Genus Glossophaga comprises nine species native to the American Neotropics. "The species status of Glossophaga mutica [Merriam’s long-tongued bat] was confirmed only in the year 2021," elevating populations previously "thought to be different subspecies belonging to the Glossophaga soricina species complex."
Of the four Glossophaga species native to Mexico, "G. mutica is the only one ... that has distribution in the Sonoran Desert," and Santa Martha Cave, inside Hermosillo City, Sonora, represents the "most northwestern and urban record." Although "less than 120 m from the nearest avenue and less than 400 m in a straight line to a commercial mall," Santa Martha Cave "hosts dozens of [Macrotus] californicus year-round ... and G. mutica during summer."
Glossophaga representives demonstrate "a broad spectrum of diets compared to that of closely related genera" (of the Glossophaginae subfamily) and G. mutica "is considered the least specialized." An opportunistic and generalist dietary strategy (consuming nectar, fruits and insects) "could help [G. mutica] to explore urban areas" and possibly, "complement its diet with the nectar of exotic [anthropic] plant species," similar to Leptonycteris yerbabuenae's ' exploitation of hummingbird feeders throughout the Tucson area of southern Arizona.

Learn more @ http://mastozoologiamexicana.com/ojs/index.php/theryanotes/article/view/449 and https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4770266

© Alejandro Insegna
Glossophaga soricina, Pallas' long-tongued bat

Where are all the bats? - News - Bat Conservation Trust News outlets have published articles on an increase in malnourished bats, linked this to wet weather and a decline in insects. BCT we will continue to build the best possible evidence base to focus our work and shape the advice we give.

Let’s get batty!

Join WDFW, Washington State Parks & Recreation Commission, and Woodland Park Zoo on Saturday, July 27, to learn about Washington’s bats and help count them as they fly across the evening sky. We’ll get started around 7:45 p.m. at Shelter 2 of Schafer State Park, 1365 W Schafer Park Road, Elma.

Did you know bats are helpful to people and the environment? From eating insects like mosquitoes to pollinating plants, we’ll tell you all about the benefits of these winged critters. Then, we’ll spend about 30 minutes observing bats to track their activity for a community science program.

Please wear appropriate shoes. We also recommend bug spray (the bats can’t eat them ALL) and a headlamp. We look forward to having a bat-tastic time with everyone!

Photo by WDFW of a little brown bat.

There are two types of people at a concert...which are you?

🦇 Mexican free-tailed bat
📷 Jonathan Alonzo

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s actually a flying mammal which is arguably the coolest option. WRI and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife are excited to introduce you to the spectacular world of bats! Sign up for this nighttime excursion to watch biologists capture and study bats before releasing them into the night. Register online here: https://wenatcheeriverinstitute.org/event-calendar.html/event/2024/08/03/bat-night-with-wdfw/486792

Allen's big-eared bat (Idionycteris phyllotis), also known as the lappet-browed bat

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Near Wenatchee or fancy and roadtrip? Come out and join WDFW and Bats Northwest for a fun-filled bat night! Spots are going fast so sign up soon! https://wenatcheeriverinstitute.org/event-calendar.html/event/2024/08/03/bat-night-with-wdfw