Camera Roll Reveal – Summer Bat Surveys

by Meaghan Lyon

The CWF team chose some of their favorite photos taken during their summer bat surveys to share. Enjoy this visual journey into the field to see what a night of mist net surveys looks like.

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The CWF Team, Meaghan Lyon, Leah Wells, and Sherry Tirgrath, deploy the mist net at sunset. The long yellow poles are used to raise the net up to 5 meters high.

Leah extracts a bat from the mist net with the assistance of Meaghan. Sometimes crochet hooks are used to help remove the fine netting from the bat. Thick deerskin gloves are always worn to protect from sharp teeth!

Each team member holds a bat during a busy survey night. These three bats were captured in the nets at the same time and were processed simultaneously. Processing includes measuring the wings, weighing the bats, and collecting guano samples.

Leah poses with an Eastern red bat after collecting data and measurements. N95 masks are worn to protect bats from the potential exposure to COVID.

Meaghan processes a big Eastern red bat. The typical red bat weights between 7 and 15 grams.

Big brown bats are the most common bats in New Jersey. Each big brown bat is fitted with a metal band so biologists can identify individuals and observe differences in the population throughout the season and over the years.

Leah checks the wing of a big brown bat to determine if there is scarring or depigmentation. Damage to the wings can be a sign of health and disease among bats.