Ready To Count Bats? June 4-6 Is Great WI Bat Count
Wisconsin’s cave bats are back at their summer roosts and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is asking volunteers to count bats emerging from their bat houses or other roosts at sunset on one night between June 4-6.
This count and another taken later in the summer are known collectively as the Great Wisconsin Bat Count and help the DNR gauge bat population trends in the summer.
The June 4-6 count is known as a "pre-volancy" count, meaning it occurs before the newborn bats, known as "pups," have started flying. The second, "post-volancy" count is set for July 17-19, after the pups have started flying.
What Information To Gather And Where To Submit It
"Volunteers only need to count one night June 4-6, but if you are able to survey two nights in a row it can give us some interesting and useful information about how colonies change night-to-night," said Heather Kaarakka, DNR Roost Coordinator.
In addition to counting emerging bats, volunteers are asked to provide information on the roost site and weather conditions at the time of the count.
"Counts generally take at least 20-30 minutes, sometimes up to an hour for all the bats to emerge," Kaarakka said. "It depends on how quickly after sunset they start flying and how fast they emerge."
Submit count information using DNR’s online form or provide the same information in an email to Heather.Kaarakka@Wisconsin.gov.
Thank you in advance for helping make bats count in Wisconsin!