Please report any bat sightings, especially in the Ammonoosuc Ravine area

[bikehikeskifish]

(Reposted from my TR An Awesome Ammonoosuc Adventure -- after an ongoing conversation with the wildlife biologist, I thought this worthy of its own topic.)

Here is a synopsis of an e-mail thread I had with a wildlife biologist at NH F&G, Non-game:


Tim: I was wondering if anyone tracks information about bats. I saw a bat in, of all places, the Ammonoosuc Ravine below Mount Washington on 3/2/2010. Definitely not the right time of year. Someone mentioned that it might be White Nose Fungus.

Wildlife: Thank you for your report. It may be a bat with white-nose syndrome. We had one other report of a bat flying near there this winter.

We are collecting data on bats through on online system shared with the state of Vermont. You can access it through our website at http://wildlife.state.nh.us/Wildlife/Nongame/bats.html Or directly at www.vtfishandwildlife.com/Sick_Acting_Bat_Citizen_Reporting_Form.cfm.

Our website also give more information on white-nose syndrome and links to other informative sites.

Tim: Subsequent to reporting this, I have heard another "theory" in that we disturbed the bat in the "dungeon" (the emergency shelter under the Lake Of The Clouds Hut) and it crawled into a pack or some other item of gear, and did not leave until the ravine. This would mean one of the four of us carried it from the dungeon to the summit of Washington, and then back to the hut where it sat in our gear as we left it while ascending Monroe. This seems unlikely to me given the number of times we put on/take off/adjust our packs.

Wildlife: It is highly unlikely that a bat crawled into a pack. It is also unlikely that any bats were hibernating there. They need to have a constant winter temperature around them above freezing for them to hibernate, and be able to wake back up. The weather conditions are likely too harsh for that.

Tim: I would assume then it probably was lost and blown off course from some place warmer than the area on the slopes of Mt Washington, which is generally well-below freezing for most of the winter, even in tree hollows or other places bats may hibernate.

Wildlife: Your assumption of it being lost is likely correct.

Thanks for the new map. I looked at your previous one, but this one is
also helpful. We'll have to look for the hibernacula in the warmer
months, and then survey it next winter. I hope that the Forest Service
biologists will have some ideas as to the possible location of the
hibernacula.

It is critical that people do not go into caves and mines, even in the
summer. The fungus that is killing our bats can be carried on boots,
packs and other gear, and thus infect a new site. We think this is how
the disease spread from NY to West Virginia, as it is too far for bats
to fly and a caver survey showed that cavers visited the NY sites then
the W. VA sites. Since you seem to like going off-trail (or was that
just by necessity?) if you find cave or mine openings, write down the
GPS coordinates and send them to me. We follow a strict decontamination
process for entering caves and mines.

Thanks again for following up on these sightings. It is very helpful.

--END--

Tim

 

[RickB.]

We encountered two bats near the bottom of the Jewell Trail at Marshfield Station Saturday (3/6). They were out in full daylight and flew within a few feet of us. I have reported it.
Thanks for the information.

 

[Laurie Maynard]

I reported my incident as well. Interesting that there has been so many sightings there at the same area.

 

[una_dogger]

Interesting! Thanks for posting, Tim.

 

[NeoAkela]

I saw the bat today - thought it was a bird at first! It was swooping around the riverbed about a mile up the Ammo Ravine trail. Made two passes then flew out of sight.

 

[Bob T]

Saw that same (?) bat last Sunday around noon on the Ammi below Gem Pool.

Also, saw a brown bat at 10:20am in Newbury VT this morning. Have never seen a bat during the day except for this last week. Their wings are translucent in the sun. Amazing and a little bit disturbing.

 

[Bill and Sheep]

Tom and Atticus had an interesting bat experience recently as well.

http://tomandatticus.blogspot.com/2010/03/glove-thief.html

 

[Amicus]

We have hosted a bat in our cellar for two years now. He (she?) flies around intermittently when one of us is sharpening skis or fetching a bottle of wine, strictly after dark and not always then. Seems robust. There is a slim means of egress I imagine the bat uses. It must hang out in a sort of side-cellar we have, as we have don't have guano deposits. This is near Lake Ossipee. Bats have been frequent in our vicinity over the last two decades, perhaps less numerous over the last five years or so (but I have not been counting).
.

 

[Tom & Atticus]

Bats are going through some tough times. In a follow-up post I linked to a past article ion Boston.com about what's happening to them.

 

[una_dogger]

First the bees, now the bats...

 

[hikerfast]

I haven't seen any baseball games in the vicinity, hence no bats.
One time a bat got loose in our house, my father grabbed a book and started beating on it. After he was done, he looked at the book. It was 'don't die on the mountain' by dan allen.

 

[forestgnome]

Saw a bat, species unknown, flying in the afternoon yesterday near Loon Mtn.

Nice thread.

happy trails

 

[RickB.]

We counted over a dozen over a three mile span, driving out the Base Station road from Marshfield this afternoon.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Report them at the link in the first post, please. Reporting them here is not helping the biologists - I don't think they are reading this.

Tim

 

[RickB.]

Report them at the link in the first post, please. Reporting them here is not helping the biologists - I don't think they are reading this.

Tim

Did, both times.
I value reading what others have seen on this subject. And wanted to let people know that it isn't just the "Ammonoosuc bat" but a more wide-spread issue.

 

[Laurie Maynard]

Winter surveys show white nose syndrome significantly affecting n.h. Bats

I just received this info through F&G and thought it interesting enough to share.

WINTER SURVEYS SHOW WHITE NOSE SYNDROME SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECTING N.H. BATS

CONCORD, N.H. -- Winter surveys by biologists show that the deadly bat disease called White Nose Syndrome (WNS) is having a dramatic impact on New Hampshire's bat populations. Currently, five of the eight species of New Hampshire bats are affected by WNS, including the common little brown bat. One species, the northern long-eared bat, has now disappeared from hibernacula (bat wintering places) all over the Northeast.

Monitoring bat populations for the devastating fungus has become a necessary regimen in recent years, but biologists dedicated to managing bats and other nongame species in New Hampshire were particularly discouraged by their findings during a February survey of a Grafton County mine that is the second largest hibernaculum in the state. New Hampshire Fish and Game Department Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Biologist Emily Brunkhurst joined biologist Dr. Jacques Veilleux of Franklin Pierce University and Dr. Scott Reynolds of St. Paul's School for the midwinter survey of bat hibernacula in New Hampshire.

As Veilleux cut a hole in the ice covering the front of the mine, he encountered the first sign that all was not well within – a dead little brown bat encased in the ice. Climbing through the small hole, wearing protective gear to prevent the spread of WNS, the biologists looked down upon a gruesome scene: dozens of dead bats littered the floor or were frozen into the ice. Some 48 dead bats were found near the cave entrance, and more further in. The biologists proceeded with their grim duty – to count every bat in the mine, living and dead; recording the species and any signs of the WNS fungus (Geomyces destructains). In all, the biologists found 96 dead and 185 live bats in this mine, with 76 of the live bats showing evidence of WNS. This total of 281 bats was down by 83% from 2009.

"These are the worst indicators I have ever seen," Veilleux said sadly. "It was devastating to see this vibrant colony so decimated, and heart-rending to see a couple of the bats clinging to the walls, but obviously very, very sick."

The second survey of the day was conducted in a mine that does not get sealed in by ice. There, just one dead bat was found. "We could only assume that the sick bats had flown out of the mine and were either under the snow or had been eaten by predators," said Brunkhurst. As with the first site, the numbers of bats remaining in the mine were very low, down at least 50% from last year.

Over several weeks, the team surveyed six other New Hampshire bat hibernacula. Overall, numbers were way down, but a few encouraging signs emerged. In one small mine, which is heavily flooded (researchers wear wetsuits to conduct the survey), the bat population had increased from 48 bats in 2009 to 60 bats this year, with very little sign of WNS. Two very small hibernacula were discovered in old World War II bunkers, and no signs of WNS were apparent in the 83 bats found there. Statewide, however, bat population numbers were down significantly, for an overall population decline of 66% since last year.

In addition to surveying numbers of living and dead bats, the biologists looked for tiny silver bands on the bats' wings, markers placed during a survey of bats near New Hampshire hibernacula last fall. Individual identification numbers on each banded bat reveal whether the bat was captured at this hibernaculum or another, as bats don't always use the same wintering place from year to year.

One theory as to why New Hampshire hibernacula actually saw increases in bat populations in 2009 was that bats stayed in the state instead of flying to Vermont to hibernate last year. WNS has hit hard in Vermont, which has the biggest hibernacula in New England, Aeolus Cave. Bats from all over New England, including ours in decades past, migrate there to hibernate for the winter. Before WNS, Aeolus cave had an estimated population of 200,000-300,000 bats. Now, bat numbers there have plummeted by as much as 90% -- a loss of tens of thousands of bats in a single hibernaculum.

As the winter progressed in New Hampshire, March brought a strange new phenomenon. Though it was much too early for bats to be leaving their hibernacula, many bats were seen flying in the Mt. Washington area, over the trail and base road, in the parking lots and at all altitudes. Several dead bats were collected by volunteers and U.S. Forest Service biologists for testing for WNS. “We aren't aware of a cave or mine hibernaculum in that area,” says Brunkhurst, “but we are looking for one now, and it may have more bats than any known hibernaculum.” Some of the live bats observed were big brown bats, which are known to hibernate in buildings, including the cog railway buildings, as well as caves and mines. (WNS has not been detected in bats living in buildings.) However, all the dead ones collected were little brown bats, which hibernate in caves and mines and are very susceptible to WNS, and the closest known hibernaculum is over 13 miles away.

Nationally, the rapid advance of the deadly bat disease is gaining attention. States that do not yet have WNS yet are busily planning their response and working with biologists and cave owners on this critical issue. National Geographic magazine dispatched a photographer to join the New Hampshire biologists on one of their recent winter surveys for a future story showing what state biologists, university researchers and the US Fish & Wildlife Service are doing to combat this destructive disease.

WNS first appeared in New York in 2006 and now has been documented in 11 states; it has expanded as far south as Tennessee and as far north as Ontario, Canada. Some of the spread can be attributed to migrating bats, but it is also feared that humans are transporting the fungus on their caving clothing and gear. Because of this, the US Fish & Wildlife Service requests all cavers to disinfect their gear between cave visits. In addition, do not bring any gear used in an infected state into a cave in an uninfected state, as disinfection procedures are not 100% effective, and respect all cave closures.

Why is the spread of WNS so important? Bats are the biggest predator of night-flying insects. Also, recovery from the onslaught of the disease will be difficult, because bats are slow breeders. They typically live a long life (over 20 years) and produce one, or rarely two, pups each year. As with most young of the year wildlife, not all pups survive, so rebuilding bat populations after such a rapid decline could take decades. "We don't know whether some of these bats will permanently disappear from the landscape, or exactly how the loss will change the ecology of our state," said Brunkhurst. "We may have more forest or agricultural pest issues, but it’s just too early to tell."

Hundreds of scientists across the country are working to solve the mysteries of WNS. We know that the fungus is persistent – it remains in a cave and can infect bats that return there. Two types of treatments designed to control the fungus on the bats have been tested, but the results are not yet in. What is known is that it is extremely difficult to treat bats for fungus without also killing other native fungi in the cave ecosystem. Work is being done to see if surviving bats have slightly different genes than bats that have not yet been affected by WNS. Additionally, research is just beginning to look at why this very same fungus occurs on European bats, but does not harm them.

How can you help? If you have bats in your barn or house or other buildings, please try to leave them there, say biologists. Bats breed much more successfully in large colonies where the combined heat helps the young bats grow. If you have problems with guano, put a ceiling of plastic between the bats and your equipment, but DO NOT seal the bats in. Also, stay out of caves and mines, year round. The fungus can be picked up on clothing and gear, and transported to other sites. If you travel to a state which has not yet detected WNS, do not take any clothing or gear that has been in a cave or mine in the affected states (the entire Northeast and as far south as Tennessee). For more information, visit the N.H. Fish and Game website at http://wildnh.com/Wildlife/Nongame/bats.html.

 

[jrichard]

This may explain why I've seen fewer bats so far this year (southern NH), and all last year. I was assuming it was just part of the population cycle.

I appreciate bats. It's great watching them hunting bugs. I have a small bat home.

But I don't know about letting bats stay in your home, especially if you have kids. It's unlikely, but they may carry rabies and the bites are hard to detect.

 

[Ed'n Lauky]

Bitten by a bat

Hiker Ed sent out an E-mail yesterday reporting that he had been bitten twice by a bat on Mt. Hight.

I was wondering if anyone else had recently been bitten by a bat. If so, where did the encounter take place?

 

[Laurie Maynard]

Wow!! That is terrible!! I hope he will be ok! Thank you for sharing that information.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

I'm guessing he won't mind:

HI TO ALL

IF YOU ARE OUT AND ABOUT LONG ENOUGH
AND OFTEN ENOUGH YOU GET TO SEE AND
EXPERIENCE JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING.

I FEEL THIS STORY IS WORTHY ENOUGH TO
BE SHARED WITH OTHERS, IF FOR NO OTHER
REASON THAN TO EDUCATE OURSELVES.

YESTERDAY ( MONDAY ), ON A TRAVERSE OF
THE 4 CARTERS, LETHE, AND HIGHT, I WAS BITTEN
BY A BAT.

I NEITHER SAW THE BAT NOR FELT THE BITE. I HAD
JUST SUMMITED MT HIGHT, ABOUT 2:30 PM, AND IN
THE CLOUDS.

THE BAT EITHER FLEW DOWN AND BIT ME, OR I
DISTURBED IT ON THE LAST BIT OF SCRAMBLE TO
THE SUMMIT ( HIDDEN ON EITHER A TREE OR BEHIND
A BOULDER ).

I FOUND OUT THAT, OTHER THAN VISUAL EVIDENCE,
IT IS NOT UNUSUAL FOR A BAT BITE TO GO UNNOTICED
AND NOT FELT.

THE BAT LEFT TWO TINY PUNCTURES, 1/4" APART, ON
THE MIDDLE INSIDE OF MY LEFT FOREARM. I SPOTTED
THEM AS I WAS LEAVING THE SUMMIT OF MT HIGHT.

A BUBBLE OF BLOOD APPEARED ON EACH. THEN THE
BLOOD RAN FROM EACH. I WIPED CLEAN, AND THE
BLEEDING REPEATED.

THERE WAS A TINY TEAR OF SKIN ON EACH PUNCTURE.

I DID NOT DECIDE UNTIL I GOT HOME LAST NIGHT THAT
IT HAD BEEN A BAT. I KNEW IT WAS A BITE OF SOME
SORT.

I HEADED NORTH TODAY TO HIKE. I STOPPED AT
EXIT #27 USFS HEADQUARTERS TO ASK ABOUT BATS.
THEY ARE OUT EARLY THIS YEAR DUE TO THE
"WHITE NOSE" INFECTIONS. ALSO MANY REPORTS
OF DEAD BATS. IT WAS SUGGESTED I SHOULD VISIT
THE DOC TODAY. SO, I DID!!!!

FIVE ( 5 ) SHOTS, PLUS AN ORAL ANTIBIOTIC TODAY.
3 SHOTS FOR SHORT TERM TREATMENT OF RABIES.
1 SHOT FOR LONG TERM IMMUNITY FOR RABIES. 1
TETANUS SHOT. AND, A 10 DAY PRESCRIPTION FOR
AN ANTIBIOTIC FOR BACTERIAL INFECTIONS.

THREE MORE FOLLOW-UP VISITS, AND THREE MORE
SHOTS TO COME. FOR LONG TERM IMMUNITY TO
RABIES.

TODAY, THE PUNCTURE WOUNDS EXHIBIT ONLY A
SLIGHT REDNESS AROUND THE PUNCTURES. NO
PAIN, ETC. THEY COULD EASILY BE MISTAKEN FOR
ANY NUMBER OF OTHER HAPPENINGS ( BUG BITES,
ETC. ), AND BE IGNORED.

THE TREATMENT DID NOT HAVE TO BEGIN TODAY.
IF I HAD THE DEAD ( OR ALIVE ) ANIMAL, IT COULD
BE WATCHED AND/OR AUTOPSIED FOR RABIES.
THE TREATMENT COULD HAVE BEGUN 10-15 DAYS
FORWARD.

MOST IMPORTANT IS THAT I WAS AWARE OF THE
BITE AND RECOGNIZED IT FOR WHAT IT WAS.

ALWAYS IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY ON BUSHWACKS,
TO CHECK YOURSELF OVER, ESPECIALLY EXPOSED
AREAS, ON A REGULAR BASIS.

TAKE CARE

ED

Tim