#batweek2017

"The two times I have had the privilege to attend the annual Nevada Bat Blitz have been amazing! They have been the highlights of my 1 ½ years at the Bureau of Land Management in Southern Nevada. Between getting to see these amazing mammals up close and meeting all of the incredible people that attend the event, nothing else compares.

A typical day during the Bat Blitz is trying to get as much sleep as you can during the day which is always tricky while camping because of the sunlight beating down on your tent. Luckily both Bat Blitzes I have attended have been at high elevations to the temperatures are much cooler than an average August day in Nevada.

Around 4:00 pm, the whole group of biologists from the different agencies get together and groups for the night are assigned. Shortly after that we head out to our assigned sites for the night. Upon arrival to the site, we evaluate the best placement for our nets to catch bats and then begin our set up. After set up is complete, you wait. You are waiting for the first bat of the night to fly over your head or for one to be picked up on the acoustic equipment. Once that happens, the real fun begins.

On a very busy night nets are opened and it is non-stop for the 4-5 hour period that we are trapping bats. Other nights there isn't much activity and you sit around in your group bundled up in jackets and blankets and play games or tell stories while occasionally checking the nets. As any good biologist knows the times with no activity or very little activity is still data worth collecting!

When there is a lot of bat activity, there is always something to do. For those who have proper training, they are working on getting bats out of the nets and quickly "processing", or taking data on the bats and then releasing them. Measurements that are taken include age, gender, reproductive status, forearm length, teeth wear and weight.