June Bat Walk

June 27, 2015: This past Saturday we took a moonlit trail walk to quietly observe bats roosting on The Reserve.  Bat biologist, Stephanie Remington, educated participants about this unique mammal including their anatomy, behaviors and current threats such as habitat loss and drought.  We listened for the distinctive “tap dancer” sounds coming through the sonar detectors as the bats were echolocating around us. Although the numbers for the evening were low compared to years past, due mainly to extreme drought conditions, we observed a nice variety of species including two California Species of Special Concern, the ground-foraging Pallid bat and the largest bat in the US, the Western mastiff bat.