Saturday, September 19, was a perfect night for bats. We had a chance to get up close and personal with live bats and now appreciate how important these flying mammals are to our ecosystem. Did you know that we have 17 bat species in Northern California and about 1,500 species worldwide? And that a single little brown bat can eat more than 1,000 mosquitoes in a single hour and is one of the world's longest-lived mammals for its size, with a lifespan of almost 40 years? Or that pollination of the agave plant, used to make tequila, depends on bats? And we can thank bats for pollinating mango, guava, and banana trees.
About 60 people showed up to learn about bats from our local bat, who brought two different echolocation devices to help us identify bats from their calls. We heard five species foraging by the river while we talked—the hoary bat, Mexican free-tail bat, silver-haired bat, red bat, and long-legged bat.
We also met JoEllen’s Bat Ambassadors, three local species of bats—a pallid bat, big brown bat, and Mexican free-tailed bat. Each of these wild bats suffered an injury or birth defect, making them unreleasable—they cannot fly and would die in the wild. JoEllen volunteers with NorCalBats, which provides rescue services and education about bats, including the Bat Ambassadors that are permitted by the state to be used for educational programs. You can learn more about this at www.norcalbats.org. For fascinating information about bats worldwide, check out Bat Conservation International at www.batcon.org.
At dusk we glanced across the river and saw about a dozen Mexican free-tailed bats foraging for dinner. These bats eat mostly insects, and in California, Arizona, and Texas they really put a dent in populations of several major cotton and corn pests.
About 60 people showed up to learn about bats from our local bat, who brought two different echolocation devices to help us identify bats from their calls. We heard five species foraging by the river while we talked—the hoary bat, Mexican free-tail bat, silver-haired bat, red bat, and long-legged bat.
We also met JoEllen’s Bat Ambassadors, three local species of bats—a pallid bat, big brown bat, and Mexican free-tailed bat. Each of these wild bats suffered an injury or birth defect, making them unreleasable—they cannot fly and would die in the wild. JoEllen volunteers with NorCalBats, which provides rescue services and education about bats, including the Bat Ambassadors that are permitted by the state to be used for educational programs. You can learn more about this at www.norcalbats.org. For fascinating information about bats worldwide, check out Bat Conservation International at www.batcon.org.
At dusk we glanced across the river and saw about a dozen Mexican free-tailed bats foraging for dinner. These bats eat mostly insects, and in California, Arizona, and Texas they really put a dent in populations of several major cotton and corn pests.
A rescued big brown bat. Photo by JoEllen Arnold
A batty crowd. Photo by Elle Steele.
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