April 17, 2010
We scurry to get the project started -productivity depends on the wind, rain, and the blunders of bats. Predicable for sure… One of the great things about grad school is you never know what new, exciting project will turn up next. So it is for my buddy and I as we were handed an interesting project this spring. I has nothing to do with either of our thesis research projects but has managed absorb every spare moment and energy resource we have had over the last month or two. It will be a fantastic advancement -if only we can actually pull it off.
The past couple of weeks I have found myself lodged on the shores of Lake Erie in northern Ohio. I love the wildlife and the lake can be beautiful -but I haven’t had much time to observe.
Luckily, one night this past week was far too windy to chase after bats and I was able to grab my camera and hit the beach.
I nabbed a few pictures before the sun sunk too low.
Life never moves slow these days -this week I start the final season of field work for my thesis project and try to keep the work at the lake moving forward. Regardless, I think the worst of the time crunch is over and perhaps someday soon I will be able to find the rest of my life again.
Tags: bats, weather
Posted at 22:14 EDT in Photography, Research.
November 13, 2009
My buddy Alex and I both work with bats. Alex is studying the effect of controlled burns (a.k.a. prescribed fire) on bat activity. When properly implemented, controlled burns are beneficial to both the wildlife and the forest. Actually, fire is necessary for some ecosystems to persist.
Yesterday was the day for the fall controlled burns so I thought I would post a few pictures.
For this burn, the goal was to ignite the fire around the edge in a systematic fashion and let it burn toward the center. Here the guy in the background is spreading the fire around the perimeter using a drip torch.
If you are looking for “media grade” 100 ft flames than you will be disappointed. This is a controlled burn in the east not a national disaster in California.
After the fire goes through there is the long process of “mopping up.”
Water is used where need but generally a little goes a long way.
The fire leaves a nice clean forest ready for the new sprouts in the spring.
Tags: bats, forestry, habitat
Posted at 21:09 EST in Biology, Research.
August 8, 2009
Is it really August already? Wow -what happened to July? As for me things have been going well -a bit too well actually. I have hardly had the time to blink lately. The field season is moving right along. Our bat captures for the year have exceeded 500 and we have been collecting lots of data tracking their movements (believe me, I’ve been typing it all in).
Lots of interesting things have come up like this Hoary bat. These guys are so great looking -and hard to catch, I always love to see them. Despite the innocent looks they are hard to keep track of. This guy, even though he was a juvenile, zipped along at least 4.2 miles of creek -in one night.
The job leaves little room for anything else but I did slip out to the park the other evening. It was a short little walk and I stopped only to click exactly two frames. This is one of them. Not too bad if I don’t say so myself.
Tags: bats
Posted at 02:30 EDT in Photography, Research.
June 13, 2009
Last night was pretty slow at the nets and (sigh) we didn’t catch anything we were looking for.
We did come across this very pregnant Northern long-eared bat though. She was being very calm and cooperative (or perhaps she was just so fat she really couldn’t move…?) and I was able to get a bunch of decent pictures before she slipped back into the darkness.
There were also a pile of these Eastern Cricket frogs down there making a terrible racket. If you haven’t heard one from 2 feet or less it is quite an experience. I think I can still feel the pulsing in my ears…
I didn’t get any pictures that were real winners but I didn’t have all night…
Finally if you haven’t heard about the new and fast spreading illness that is taking a huge toll on many bat populations -well its probably past time I said something about it. It’s called “white-nose syndrome.” The best idea is to read up on all the latest info on the illness right here. But in short we still don’t know what exactly is killing the bats or how or if it is even possible to stop its deadly spread. I did attempt a couple of pictures that express the plight of our bats. Hopefully soon we will know more about this illness.
Tags: bats, Cricket-frog, frogs, mammals, white-nose syndrome
Posted at 11:43 EDT in Biology, Research.
