We were asked to test a thermal camera for an acoustic deterrent study taking place this fall at Texas State University.

TXSU toured our facilities last year and now will build a larger flight cage per our specifications on the Freeman Ranch, near the university.
This cage will be the site of an acoustic deterrent study aimed at lowering the kill rate for yellow bats at wind farms.
The Department of Energy has granted funds for the study and NRG, an energy company, lent us the thermal camera to test for the study.

There was concern that the size of the netting we specified for bat safety was smaller than the pixel size of the Axis Q1942-E PT Mount Thermal Network Camera, once the camera was placed far enough back to cover half the flight cage in its field of view. Two cameras will be used, one to cover each end of the cage, where the acoustic deterrents will be activated randomly, while the cameras monitor the reactions of the bats.  Success in this project could reduce yellow bat mortality around wind farms.  Some success has been made in deterrents for Mexican free-tailed bats and hoary bats, but none so far for yellow bats. Hopefully this study will provide some solutions for the northern yellow bats, southern yellow bats, and western yellow bats in South Texas, an area with a large number of wind farms.

Here’s what we found with a camera placed 9.3 meters back from the netting.

Even thought the netting did show up as a worrisome haze, once the bats started flying their metabolisms created plenty enough heat to track them as they hunted moths in the flight cage.

In fact, they look liked comets blazing through the night sky.  Furry little shooting stars!

The team was excited at the results of our test, and now can move confidently on with construction of the study flight cage and procurement of the cameras!

We’ll also ensure that the yellow bats used in the study are well cared for, before they are released after 2-3 days in captivity.

TDCJ responded correctly to “Bats in Buildings” calls, as the bats returned to the warehouse in their spring migration, by opening the historical colony flyway that the warehouse bats had used for over a decade.  We are pleased that they allowed the colony to re-inhabit most of their historical space, preventing mass dispersal throught the city.

At a meeting since our last blog post on the topic, TDCJ stated that they would work with our group to ensure the safety of the bats, but they would not spend a penny on professional bat exclusion to safeguard colony.  Austin Bat Refuge offered to line up pro-bono bat exclusion advice, knowing that this would be a tricky proposition, with no assurances the bats would inhabit mitigation roosts discussed in our last blog post.

We contacted RD Wildlife, of Albequerque New Mexico, to ask if they would be willling to give their professional advice on the best way to safeguard the bats, while accomodating TDCJ unwavering desire to demolish the structure.  Justin Stevenson gratiously agreed to take on this monumental challenge pro-bono!  Austin Bat Refuge flew Justin in to Houston, met him at his hotel and drove him up to Huntsville to meet the prison staff and tour the structure.  We provided respirators and protective gear and made sure all decontamination protocols were rigorously adhered to.  Justin then met with prison officials and gave his initial impressions of the situation.

His report has just been forwarded to prison officials and our working group, outlining at least a 2-3 year timeline, after installation of appropriate numbers and styles of bat houses, using incremental steps and monitoring the bats behavior to make adjustments during the process.  And this will be a process!

In an amazing expression of heartfelt goodwill, he has committed his professional consultation, to ensure the safety of the colony, at no charge to the prison system!
We are proud to know this human being and to call him our friend!