Who wants to come out and count some bats?
Wanna help count some bats?
Bats are a key part of B.C.’s ecology and eat lots of insects every night. But all is not well for bats, especially for the little brown myotis bat, of the most common species you see in the Okanagan. It’s now considered endangered in Canada because of white-nose syndrome, a fungal bat disease recently found in B.C. for the first time.
So keeping track of bat populations is vital, and people can help by participating as citizen scientists in B.C.’s Annual Bat Count next month.
Volunteers wait outside a known roost site, such as a bat-box, barn, or attic, and count bats as they fly out of their roosts at dusk.
It’s easy, fun and safe, said Paula Rodriguez de la Vega, coordinator of the
Okanagan Community Bat Program. “The counts are a wonderful way for people to get outside, learn about bats, and be involved in collecting important scientific information,” said de la Vega.
Volunteers are needed for bat counts at
Fintry, Okanagan Lake south, and Sun Oka Provincial Parks, as well as at the RDCO regional parks. Bat counts are also occurring in Peachland, Kaleden, and Vernon areas.
Peachland’s bats live in the attic of the historic schoolhouse, now the tourism information centre at 5684 Beach Ave.
A bat count event begins at 8:45 p.m and goes to 10:30 p.m. on June 2.
Counting begins at 9:30 p.m. Activities for kids are included. Register at info@beepspeachland.com or just show up.
Results from the bat count helps biologists understand bat distribution and monitor for impacts of white-nose syndrome. The data can help biologists prioritize areas in for research into treatment options and recovery actions.
People can choose their level of participation based on their time and interest. A Bat Enthusiast does four counts during the summer, with two counts between June 1 and June 21 (before bat pups can fly) and two more between July 11 and Aug. 5 (when pups are flying and exiting the roost with their mothers).
However, if you don’t have that much time, you can be a Bat Reporter (one count over the summer, preferably between June 1 and June 21) or a Bat Tracker (two counts between those dates).
Warmer night-time temperatures in the Okanagan mean B.C. bats are arriving back to their summer roost sites. Barns, school buildings, church steeples, abandoned buildings can all provide a home to female bats and their young.
The Okanagan Community Bat Program partners the Osoyoos Desert Centre, Bat Education and Ecological Protection Society, Regional District of the Central Okanagan, Allan Brooks Nature Centre, BC Parks and many more.