Ended: Active
Total Hours: 90
Bats have a vital role in the environment such as pollinators and insect control. One bat can consume over 1000 insects in one hour which is great for our environment and economy. What would it be like outside if there were no bats to control the insect population? Think about that. The reduction of insects also reduces crop destruction, the spread of diseases and can reduce pesticides used on crops.
This is my third year participating in the Bat Roost Monitoring program with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
I monitor bat roost to determine activity of bats and species present. This is conducted through visual observations and echolocation sounds picked up on my bat detector. A tally sheet is completed that records temperature, weather conditions and the bat numbers exiting and entering roost.
I also utilize a bat detector to pick up bats in the area regardless if I see any exit a roost. This helps me determine if there is a bat population in the area. Check out a few locations:
Ohio State University
Gwynne Conservation Area
The monitoring involves the following:
- Determine the species of bats
- Location of roost (latitude and longitude)
- Environment conditions such as temperature, wind and sky conditions
- Track bats entering and exiting roost within a specific time slot
- Any other conditions relevant to study
Ohio Bat Species(11 species)
- Big Brown Bat
- Eastern Red Bat
- Eastern Small-Footed Bat
- Evening Bat
- Hoary Bat
- Indiana Bat
- Little Brown Bat
- Northern Long-Eared Bat
- Silver-Haired Bat
- Tri-Colored Bat
| Ohio Bats | Little Brown Bat |
Photos
 |  |  | ||
Monitoring Locations
Check out my map of monitoring "sites"