Bat Update: March 6, 1997

Bats are the only mammal that can truly fly. And although some people might wiggle and squirm at the thought of a bat, they are actually gentle and beneficial animals that are misunderstood much of the time.

Backyard Bat-A-Rama!
We hope you'll share information about bats in your area. Join the fun, turn on your night vision, and let us know when you see the FIRST bat of the season in your backyard or neighborhood!

How to Report Your Bat Sightings
When you see your FIRST bat of the season, please let us know!

By E-mail: jn-report@learner.org
OR: Press the Owl button at the left

In the comments section of your Field Data Form, please tell us as much as you can about the bats in your region: For example:

• Which bat species live in your area?
• What do they eat?
• What did you see first this spring, a bat or a mosquito?
• What were the average night-time temperatures at the time of your first sighting?
• Was there any wind or rain?
• Do your local bats migrate or hibernate?

Perhaps a local naturalist could help you find this information.

What Information Should I Record?
Whether you see bats or not, record the date and the temperature. What else would be interesting? Pretend you are a bat and pretend that you can fly. Would you be able to fly in a strong wind if you weighed an ounce or less? How well could you fly in a drenching rain? After you've seen the season's first bats, find out how windy or rainy or cold it has to get for bats to stay home in the evening.

Did You Know?
Of the bats that hibernate, many of them MIGRATE to the place where they hibernate. Hundreds of miles in some cases!

Where Can I Find a Bat?
Our bat expert Dr. Ginny Dalton has these suggestions:

In temperate regions, look for insectivorous bats around streetlights when bats forage for the insects that are drawn to those lights. Start looking around dusk. Different species of bats leave their day roosts at different times -- some before sunset, some afterwards. However, if you started looking about 5-15 minutes after sunset and wait for an hour at the most, you might see some bats chasing insects that are drawn to the street lights. Lights near woods or open fields, maybe in the parking lot of a city park, are a good place to start.

If I were in Florida I would be looking for bats now. If I were in Virginia, I'd start looking maybe in early May. I'd TRY early May if I were in Michigan, but maybe mid-May is better. Pick a warm evening, above 10 degrees Celsius (50 F), when it's either dry or drizzling.

Bat Detectors!
Save your money for purchase of a "bat detector" (obtained from someplace like BCI) so you can "hear" the bats as they use their sonar to locate their tasty meal items. Bat detectors are not inexpensive, so maybe you can get your folks to pitch in, and perhaps the whole class could purchase one and donate it to the school from the "Bat Studying Class of '97."

Conservation Caution
Bats spend the day in caves, mines, buildings, under bridges, or in trees. It is extremely difficult to find them, especially those that roost as solitary individuals. However, the ones that congregate in large numbers are easy to find. It's also easy to disturb them and thus harm them. Please do not visit bats in their day roosting sites!

Bats Need Friends Too!
Bats have long been misunderstood, and there are many commom myths about bats. How many have you heard before? For example:

* No bats are blind . . . most can actually see quite well.

* Bats do not become tangled in human hair . . . their sonar, or echo-location, abilities are far more sophisticated than man-made technologies and allow bats to navigate flawlessly in even pitch darkness.

*Bats are not vermin or rodents . . . they are no more likely to transmit disease to other animals or to humans than your pet dog.

Try This
As you track bat migration over the next weeks, keep track also of the many times you hear about people's fear of and dislike for bats. As a class, debate how these values affect the conservation of bats. (See the lesson on page 65 of the Journey North's Teacher's Manual called, "Cycling Through Controversy".)

Challenge Question #1

"What is sonar?" (Please tell us as much as you can about it!)

How to Respond to Journey North Bat Challenge Question #1

1. Address an e-mail message to: jn-challenge-bat@learner.org
2. In the Subject Line of your message write: Challenge Question #1
3. In the body of the message, give your answer to this question:

"What is sonar?" (Please tell us as much as you can about it!)

Don't Forget!
Please include the name of your school and your location so we can credit you properly for your answers.

The Next Bat Update Will be Posted on March 20, 1997