Vermont Bats - demons no more

 

Vermont bats - demons no more.

Halloween may be over but the howling, chills running down our spines should be with us still as great danger, and unknown evil remains about us. Unseen and yet not identifiable its' symptoms are evident and the devastating mortality rate is of epidemic proportions. Some suspect this may not be the first time this virus or fungus has reached the mammalian target in other parts of the world, possibly even explaining lower populations in Europe. But whether introduced unintentionally or a new strain, this killer element struck fast, struck hard, and is leaving little of the population in Vermont, the Northeast, and fringes of the South- alive. 

Scott Darling a wildlife biologist for the State of Vermont came to Pierson Library in Shelburne on November 4 to telltale of a fascinating, yes, fascinating creature of which 9 species live here in Vermont. Therein lies the horror story, but first let me tell you some of the information about these creatures that Scott relayed that engaged the eager and attentive audience.  

Tiny creatures, the most common in Vermont weighing in at 7 grams- hold three penny's in your hand and you are holding the healthy weight of one type, while Vermont's largest grow up to about 25 grams. Some are year-round residents (Little Brown (Vermont's most common), Large Brown, and Tri-Colored. The first two might be found roosting in an attic or barn while the third roosts in dead leaves or in lichen in the trees. The second most common in Vermont is the Northern Long-Eared, which along with endangered Indiana and Small Footed resides predominately in the forest; The Small Footed roosts in cliffs and rock crevices. The Indiana (Federally and State endangered) in Vermont is found mostly in the Champlain Valley. The last three of nine species of Bats found in Vermont are hoary, which is Vermont’s largest and a very fast flier, Red that is often seen around streetlights, and the Silver Haired. Vermont has nine of the 1000 species of bats, which make up ¼ of all mammals.

Stop, Look, and Listen, and you will see a bat is not just a bat. They are smart, and even very trainable. Each species is distinctive and interesting looking especially up close. And believe it or not, they evolved from Lemurs. As Scott put it, (paraphrasing), about a zillion years ago (OK he said 53 million years ago) some Lemurs must have decided jumping about from tree to tree was not efficient and sometimes downright painful when you missed your next branch- so some evolved to grow wings and fortunately for us most (all the nine species in Vermont) eat insects-lots of them. Using echolocation to see at night (bats are not blind) they emit up to 200 pulses per second to help hone in on their prey, be it mosquitoes, crop-destroying beetles, or other insects that we would rather not become overabundant on our farms or in our backyards. In addition, these guys have voracious appetites, consuming half their body weight in insects each night. Raise your hands if you think their insect (mosquitoes etc) gluttony is a problem with you. 

But alas there aren't many mosquitoes/insects in the wintertime in Vermont so the Hoary, Red, and Silver-Haired migrate to more bug-infested winter areas leaving around July and returning to Vermont in April. That is if they are lucky enough to avoid the wind turbines, which studies, have shown kills many of them due to the turn rate of the blades in non-windy days. (They tend not to fly on windy days). Compromises are possible using wind turbines but by adjusting their slow wind speed, we just need to weigh the cost of slightly less turbine output VS many fewer insect harvesters. 

The other six species hibernate in winter in Vermont, beginning around November through mid-April, followed by a single pup being born around mid-June, which is on its own within three weeks. Alas, the fact that females only have a single pup over a year is the tip of the iceberg as to why we should be scared for them. 

On January 21, 2008, a picture confirmed what is now termed “White Nose Syndrome” affecting a Vermont bat. By April, sightings of the infestation were widespread to Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York, and now have been spotted further south to Pennsylvania and Virginia. Symptoms include a white fungus on the bat, changes of the hibernation patterns- bats moving to colder regions of caves, bats flying out during the day and during winter- and a very high rate of death in affected populations as in the 90% range. Scott estimated the Vermont loss at 400,000 bats (over two winters). Those 400,000 bats would eat 2 BILLION INSECTS PER NIGHT. This is why we should be scarred for us in Vermont. For the small percentage of survivors, re-population efforts will be slow at one pup per year. Many colleges, scientists, and biologists including many in Vermont are working to determine the cause and to answer questions like; is the cause element spread from bat to bat, or is it location/environment-specific. At a 90% death rate, this race will be a short one-win or lose. 

With very recent amphibian decimation (many species going extinct), very recent heavy losses to bee populations, and now a mammalian which is a hugely instrumental insect forager – all fascinating creatures in of themselves, and all extremely important to our well being-WE SHOULD BE SCARRED FOR THEM AND US and thinking what are we doing to our environment and what can each of us do even on a small scale to not make matters worse. We are learning to sneeze on our sleeves instead of in our hands to avoid the flu. We can as easily learn to take other small actions to avoid valuable and fascinating species from continued drastic population drops if not total extinction. 

 For more information search the web for bats Scott Darling or Vermont wildlife Scott Darling.

Bats or more mosquitoes and other harmful insects eating our gardens and crops? 1 less bat = 1000 more mosquitoes, hmmm. Raise your hands if you think their insect (mosquitoes etc) gluttony is a problem with you. Still a tough decision? Research bats at http://www.batcon.org/. However, hurry there is no turning back after extinction.  

Trapping Bats, Alaska Wildlife Nature Magazine

Connecting Community with Nature

Bernie