bats

Elise’s pup

Elise found this pup on her doormat back of 18 July 2016 and, being the kind-hearted person she is, took the time to carefully contain the pup in a box (without touching it!) and call us.  He was a very young juvenile who seemed to have let go of his bridge roost before he was quite ready.  After weeks of blended mealworm dinners he was finally doing the wing stretches and one-arm pushups that let us know he’s ready to try again.  So last night we brought him out to the aviary and after just a little encouragement, he took off and flutter-puttered all around the cage till we lost track of him in the darkness.
It’s really surprising just how slow the pups are when they first take flight.  They have a puppy-like appearance with their little ears sticking straight up and a slightly alarmed expression on their faces.  It’s so great to see them slowly gain confidence and soon start to shred the enclosure!
Thanks Elise!  You’re simple act of kindness meant a lot to us, but it meant the world to this pup.

mexican free-tailed bat pup

Elise’s pup

Posted on , updated on by The Refuge

Barred Owl

It was a normal night in the aviary, watching the bats fly, seeing who looks ready for release and who needs more time.  The eastern red pup that was low on the side wall this morning was flying beautifully so he seems to be recovered.  The northern yellows were flying with astonishing speed and power and I just managed to get a shot of one of the pups (at bottom of the post).
All of a sudden, the yellows crashed back into their palm fronds, I looked up, saw a shadow, and just got this shot as a Barred Owl flew right over the flight cage with a bluejay in it’s talons!

Barred Owl with Bluejay

All the bats took cover so I looked for the owl in a nearby tree and found it staring back at me.
Barred Owl

I watched it feed on the bluejay for half an hour before it went on about its business.  Just check out this series of photos!
Barred Owl feeding
Barred Owl feeding
Barred Owl feeding
Barred Owl feeding
Barred Owl feeding
Barred Owl feeding
Barred Owl feeding
Barred Owl feeding
Barred Owl feeding
Barred Owl & blue feathers 2

After the shadow of the Barred Owl crossed over the aviary the second time, not a single bat flew for the next few hours!
Here’s the photo of the Yellow taken just before the owl crossed over the cage with the jay.  Is it me, or is he shouting “Incoming!”
Northern yellow pup

bluejay feathers

Found under tree next day

Posted on , updated on by The Refuge

USFWS petitioned for listing of Tri-colored bat

The Center for Biological Diversity and Defenders of Wildlife petitioned the US Fish & Wildlife Service this week to list the Tri-colored bat as endangered.  This petition recognizes the impact of WNS spreading into the Southeast and Midwestern US.

TricoloredBatPetition_06-14-2016

 

Posted on by The Refuge

Bats & Lighting UK Guidelines 2014

http://www.bats.org.uk/data/files/Bats_and_Lighting_-_Overview_of_evidence_and_mitigation_-_2014.pdf

First two paragraphs:
“These guidelines have been drafted in response to a rising number of developments and associated artificial lighting impacting
upon bat populations in the UK. There is increasing evidence of the impacts of artificial lighting on ecosystems and, as nocturnal animals, bats are likely to be impacted negatively. These guidelines are borne out of research undertaken by Emma Stone during her PhD investigating the impacts of street lighting on bats and provide a synthesis of the issues and evidence-based advice of the potential impact of lighting on bats and possible mitigation strategies.”
“These guidelines have been drafted with input from experts in lighting (Institute of Lighting Professionals), bat surveys, ecology and mitigation (Bat Conservation Trust), legislation (Natural England) and bat research and mitigation (University of Bristol) to provide the best current evidence and thinking in the field of mitigation of the impacts of lighting on bats. This document is aimed at ecologists, lighting engineers, architects, planners and ecologists in Local Authorities and Statutory Nature Conservation Organisations such as Natural England, Scottish Natural Heritage or Natural Resources Wales.”
Posted on , updated on by The Refuge