Bats Active

[johnnyb]

On our way back from Colliers Mills lake this evening (21 Dec) at dusk, we saw bats flying in the pines and later one over the road near New Egypt. Glad to see some survivors (?) of the white nose disease, but....
What are they doing out in the end of December?

 

[gipsie]

Bats are fine here. WNS can not survive over 70 degrees, so is limited to mainly bats in caves.....

 

[gipsie]

Plus bats require a hibernation temp that has to be below 50(?) or so. It should be a stable temperature with no change for a while. Considering how weird our temperature has been lately (60+ today?), I can see the bats not going into hibernation yet. I am by no means an expert, just ran into a lot of them while caving and was naturally curious..... Anyone know definitely??

 

[Gibby]

I have noticed a few oddities besides the bats too. Not to long ago, around the time of the last warm spell, I saw a Kingsnake and a Garter snake basking in the late fall sun with ice on Parker's bogs. It was weird.

 

[Spung-Man]

I too have over the last couple winters seen bats during warm spells. They like to cruise along the Cape May Branch right-of-way between Richland and Milmay, my favorite clear-my-head trek. There are no structures within a couple miles, so either the bats live in tree cavities or they travel some distance. Bats were much more abundant in the Pinelands when the poultry trade was active, and chicken coops were in use year-round.

S-M

 

[johnnyb]

Damn.
Just discovered a BIG typo that I missed by not checking: the title should be BATS with a "B"
Thanks to gipsie, Gibby and Spung-man for interesting information.
This site works!!!

 

[Teegate]

Damn.
Just discovered a BIG typo that I missed by not checking: the title should be BATS with a "B"

Fixed

 

[Boyd]

Was just watching the bats frolicking in my front yard after sunset tonight, temperature was in the high 60's. I guess there were bugs flying around, because the bats were dive bombing something.

I remember seeing them during the warm weather last winter too, I think there was a thread about it.

 

[Gibby]

I was out in the East Plains for most of today and while walking back to my car, around 4:00 or so, I saw a bat flying at a leisurely rate up Log Lane. It was odd seeing it flying just above my head. Maybe the warm weather brought it out this weekend. I don't know what species it was.

 

[ecampbell]

I saw insects yesterday. insects=food=bats