BAT MONITORING
Bat Monitoring Data was collected in 2018 on the Old Man's Creek Reserve (OMCR) and the Foley Mountain property.
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The bat detector was set up (1) beside the river near the OMC falls, (2) on a field near the boundary of the OMCR, and (3) on the Foley Mountain property.
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The first location was fairly quiet with about 100 bat passes recorded in one month. Most of the bats recorded at the first station were silver-haired bats, with some big brown Bats, a couple of Hoary bats flew by, and three little brown bats.
The second location was very active with more than 100 bat passes in five days.
The bat species at this station were again dominated by the silver-haired bat, with some big brown bats, and one hoary bat.
The third location was very active with 700 bat passes recorded in two months, with 585 of these passes being in the month of August. The bat species at this station were again dominated by the silver-haired bat, with some little brown bats, big brown, hoary, and an eastern red bat.
BAT SPECIES
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The Little Brown Bat is an endangered species. With so few recorded fly bys, it is difficult to say if they were using the property or flying through. This species most commonly makes use of buildings for roosting and maternity colonies.
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Silver-haired bats are a migratory bat. They are not the ones you would find in your attic. They generally hang out alone or in a small group under loose tree bark. Old dead standing trees are an important part of their habitat. This is not an endangered species.
The hoary bat is Ontario's largest bat. They nest on their own near the tops of trees and are migratory.
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The big brown bat may (but not necessarily) use buildings for roosting. They are not migratory.
The eastern red bat is a migratory bat. They roost on their own near the tops of trees. And because they do not like caves they are not susceptible to white nose fungus disease.