Bats Archives - Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ

2024 Summer Mist Netting Survey Recap

Posted on August 7, 2024 by Rachel McGovern

by Leah Wells, Wildlife Biologist

Over the past 3 months, CWF biologists along with U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) New Jersey Field Office staff have been working late into the night to survey for bats in the Pinelands. Each survey begins just before sunset with the setup of large, nearly invisible nets stretched across wooded corridors. As night falls, bats emerge from their day roosts and fly through the sky to their foraging grounds. From sunset until 2 am, the team checks the nets every 10 minutes, carefully extracting any bat captured in the net for identification, weighing, and measurement.

Leah extracts a bat out of the mist net.

It is Bat Week!

Posted on October 25, 2023 by Rachel McGovern

by Meaghan Lyon, Wildlife Biologist

Internationally celebrated, Bat Week runs from October 24^th through October 31^st. This week we celebrate bats to raise awareness for these nocturnal creatures that are often left in the dark. In New Jersey, we have two federally listed bat species, the Indiana bat and the Northern long-eared bat. Several more bats are being uplisted to the threatened and endangered list. Threats primarily include habitat loss and a fungal disease called white-nose syndrome.

To learn more about bats, why they matter, and how you can take action, visit https://batweek.org/ .

Collaborative Projects Gather Data About Bats in the Garden State

Posted on August 18, 2023 by Rachel McGovern

by Leah Wells, Assistant Wildlife Biologist

Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey (CWF) works hard every summer to protect New Jersey’s bats by employing continuous research, education and outreach endeavors. Our Summer Bat Count project and Mobile Acoustic Surveys, both in collaboration with the State’s Endangered and Nongame Species Program (ENSP), are essential components of these efforts, enabling us to gather and document crucial information about bat populations within the state.

Since 2003, the Summer Bat Count project has relied upon the commitment of dedicated volunteers. Equipped with only a fresh set of eyes, these volunteers tally bat populations at known summer roost sites, whether it be a bat house, attic, bridge or church. The project’s primary goal is to gain a deeper insight into the distribution of bats across the state, their preferred roosting conditions and the fluctuations in population over time. While the outcomes of this year’s survey are still pending, emergence surveys during the 2022 maternity season revealed a noteworthy increase in bats for a particular roost in Warren County. This roost has been consistently monitored, with data dating back before the introduction of White-nose Syndrome.

Northeast Bat Working Group Conference

Posted on January 24, 2023 by Rachel McGovern

by Meaghan Lyon, Wildlife Biologist

This past week, CWF biologist Meaghan Lyon attended the Northeast Bat Working Group (NEBWG) annual meeting with her fellow U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) New Jersey Field Office colleagues in snowy Burlington, Vermont. The NEBWG meeting brings together scientists, conservationists, educators, and enthusiasts to teach and learn about the most current bat research and tools to help improve our work in the field.

The annual meeting provided opportunities to learn about current research findings through presentations and poster sessions, as well as interact with fellow professionals from across the Northeast. Topics of interest included Myotis species updates for the range, impacts of renewable energies like wind farms, survey techniques, and diseases like white nose syndrome. A special training session was also offered to conference attendees focusing on the use of night vision aids for monitoring bats.

These meetings foster a sense of community among biologists and inspire new approaches for studying and conserving bats.

Northern Long-eared Bat, An Endangered Species

Posted on November 30, 2022 by Rachel McGovern

by Meaghan Lyon, Wildlife Biologist

It’s official. The Northern long-eared bat is listed as an endangered species under the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) Endangered Species Act. Earlier this year, the USFWS announced the proposed uplisting due to severe population declines. This uplisting would help to protect and recover this imperiled species and the ecosystems upon which they depend on.

A Northern long-eared bat is held in a gloved hand- these bats are less that 4 inches long with a wingspan of 9-10 inches.

Through the Endangered Species Act, species may be listed as either endangered or threatened. The term “Threatened” means a species is likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future. The term “Endangered” means a species is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.

Fact or Myth? The Ecological Importance of Bats

Posted on November 1, 2022 by Rachel McGovern

by Meaghan Lyon, Wildlife Biologist

It’s that time of year again, the days are getting shorter, temperatures are dropping, and creatures of the night are lurking behind shadowy corners. As Halloween approaches one animal comes to the forefront of everyone’s mind – bats.

Bats have been misunderstood by humans for many years and are still among the most persecuted animals on earth. In many parts of the world, bats are killed due to fear or harmful myths that make them seem scary or even dangerous. However, the fact is that bats are one of the most beneficial animals to humans.

Photo Caption: Bats are in the order Chiroptera, meaning “Hand-wing”. This skeleton shows how the wing of bats has a very similar structure to that of the human hand.

Another Bat Species in Peril

Posted on October 11, 2022 by Rachel McGovern

by Meaghan Lyon, Wildlife Biologist

Shortly after the USFWS announced that the Northern long-eared bat was being proposed for uplisting to an endangered species, another announcement regarding the tricolored bat was released.

Tricolored Bats
*Photo by Pete Pattavina/USFWS*

In mid-September, the tricolored bat (Perimyotis subflavus) was proposed to be listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Based on a thorough review of the species’ status, the Service found that the tricolored bat has declined dramatically across its range. Just as white-nose syndrome has been the cause of population decline for the northern long-eared bat, the tricolored bat has been similarly impacted. An estimated decline of more than 90 percent was found in affected tricolored bat colonies and white-nose syndrome is currently present across 59 percent of the species’ range.

Federal Uplisting of the Northern Long-eared Bat

Posted on October 7, 2022 by Rachel McGovern

by Meaghan Lyon, Wildlife Biologist

The USFWS recently proposed the uplisting of the Northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis) from a threatened to an endangered species. The Northern long-eared bat is in the genus Myotis, identifiable by its small size and long ears. It can be found in forested environments across the northeastern United States and overwintering in caves or mines. This species was first listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 2015.

Camera Roll Reveal – Summer Bat Surveys

Posted on September 13, 2022 by Leah Wells

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.

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!

An Exciting Catch- the Hoary Bat!

Posted on August 30, 2022 by Rachel McGovern

By Meaghan Lyon

As mentioned in the previous weeks, there was one special bat that made its way into the top of our net during the 2022 bat field season that left us overjoyed! One juvenile, female hoary bat (Aeorestes cinereus) was captured during our last week of surveying. This is only the second time this bat has been captured at this site in the Pinelands. Even though the hoary bat is not an endangered species, this is a rare capture for our team because the species is generally flies high and our nets only go as high as 5.5 meters. Additionally, the habitat we survey is more suited to the Northern long-eared bat which like densely cluttered forests, whereas the hoary bat typically is found on the edges of open fields.