A Moment of EnLitenment » bats

Bout time

Andrew — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 14:26:15 +0000

Here it is, the new blog design! (Yes the one that has been sitting here for about 2 years…) I decided that it was good enough to be put to some use. It probably is still buggy so please let me know if something looks bad. A couple of features aren’t quite finished -hopefully I will get to them soon. Let me know what you think!

Oh, and here’s a picture of a Gray bat (endangered species) that I captured a couple of weeks ago for my real job. Enjoy!

Here and there

Andrew — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 23:43:22 +0000

Don’t worry blog I really haven’t completely forgotten you. Actually there is some neat stuff in the works…

No really, there is. I just have this huge paper to write called a thesis so I am a bit tied up right now.

So the best I can do is post a couple of pictures of trees I took in the park…

Oh and we went camping this summer too…

I can’t decide if it is better black and white or full color.

And now, of course, it’s fall… so maybe I will be able to get out a bit and see some color. That would be nice.

But let’s not forget the bats -they are, after all, the whole reason my time has been taken up. But I really have enjoyed working with them.

I think this Red bat sums it up well… just like him I will slip back into the darkness and leave everyone wondering, “just where does he go?”…

At last -the lake…

Andrew — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 02:14:29 +0000

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.

Bats and Burns

Andrew — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 01:09:02 +0000

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.

Summer

Andrew — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 06:30:32 +0000

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.