SBDN 2016 Bat Blitz Summary
On July 24-28, 2016, approximately 100 bat experts and enthusiasts from the southeast gathered at Jacksonville State University for the 2016 Southeastern Bat Diversity Network Bat Blitz. A total of 10 teams assembled, with 9 sampling across the Shoal Creek Ranger District and another team reaching out to the Little River Canyon and DeSoto State Park. A total of 192 bats were captured over 3 nights of sampling with the first night washed out for a few teams with spotty thunderstorms.
| 26 | EPFU Eptesicus fuscus Big Brown Bat |
| 104 | LABO Lasiurus borealis Eastern Red Bat |
| 21 | LASE Lariurus seminolus Seminole Bat |
| 1 | MYAU Myotis austropriparius Southeastern Myotis |
| 2 | MYSE Myotis septentrionalis NLEB |
| 2 | MYSO Myotis sodalis Indiana Bat |
| 20 | NYHU Nycticeius humeralis Evening Bat |
| 11 | PESU Perimyotis subflavus Tricolored Bat |
| 5 | MYGR Myotis grisescens Gray Bat |
| 192 | Total Captures |
The usual suspects were captured but among them we were able to capture 2 gray bats on the Shoal Creek. We placed a transmitter one gray bat and watched it emerge from Weaver cave approximately 14 miles to the west of its capture site the following night linking Gray bat use to the national forest for the first time. We were also able to capture a couple of Indiana bats and find additional roosts benefiting the ongoing research into roost and habitat use on the Shoal Creek. We were also able to extend the distribution of Southeastern Myotis by capturing them in another drainage on the Shoal Creek. The approximate 24 net nights over the three day blitz in addition to the 40 net nights during this summer bat community research project helped make this one of the most intensely studied bat communities in Alabama. Further analysis will be done to examine the bat communities’ response to fire management and stream order as the dataset continues to be built.
Thank you all again for a productive and safe blitz in 2016! We really appreciate the effort and time you all put into learning more about bats improving our collective skills on handling and monitoring bats and sharing that knowledge with the public. Thank you!
Several videos and outreach materials also came out of the blitz that can be found at the following links:
http://alabamanewscenter.com/2016/07/28/experts-across-southeast-swarm-alabama-bat-blitz-festival/
http://photos.al.com/alphotos/2016/07/bat_blitz_11.html
https://www.facebook.com/usfwsalabama/videos/vb.126291660767367/1123679334361923/?type=2&theater
http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/alabama/news-events/?cid=fseprd509561
http://www.outdooralabama.com/alabama-bat-monitoring-and-conservation-program
UWG bat work
USFWS