Night Time Is The Best Time

24 Jul Night Time Is The Best Time

Last week I was invited to go on a mobile acoustic survey with in the park. I went with the Cuyahoga Valley National Park biologist and a Cleveland Metroparks bat biologist. We first met in the southern end of the park and got our equipment ready. First we set up the microphone which suction cupped to the car and plugged it into the Anabat SD2 Active. Next was the GPS unit that magnetically stuck to the top of the car and that was also connected to the Anabat SD2 Active. Then we drove around the park on a predetermined  route that was about 30 miles in length. We started around 8:45 pm and ended at 11:30 pm. We drove slowly to ensure we were detecting bats accurately.

A microphone (on the left) and a GPS unit (on the right) being used on a bat acoustic survey

An Anabat SD2 Active unit

We picked up our expected species such as Big Brown, Hoary and Red bats but we also picked up a Northern Long-Eared bat which was an amazing discovery! Northern Long-Eared bats are a federally threatened species so it was good to see that they are in the park, even if it was only one bat. It was a lot of fun to ask them questions about what they have experienced and what they find useful for management and data analysis. It was another one of those experiences that I cannot wait to tell my friends about back home.

This week is another big week for me. I am wrapping up surveys with our last survey location tonight, we have our last community drop in event on Thursday night, and then our last Junior Ranger event on Saturday night. It is crazy that this season is coming to an end next week. Time really flies, especially during the summer!