Photo: Contributed

Help track BC bats

The BC Community Bat Program is looking for more Okanagan-Similkameen-Boundary volunteers to join the annual provincewide bat count, helping with research into local bat populations.

Starting June 1, bat biologists and volunteers alike will be keeping tabs on numbers of the creatures at maternity roosts.

“It’s an amazing experience, staying up until the darkness sets in while counting bats,” said Paula Rodriguez de la Vega, Okanagan co-ordinator for the BC Community Bat Program, in a press release.

“All your senses come alive at dusk. You hear the birds quieting down, see the light disappearing and the stars starting to shine, your skin feels the coolness of the night. All the while you are focusing on one spot as you count the bats one by one.”

Bat pups are born in June and learn to fly within a matter of weeks, growing up in maternal colonies featuring just female bats doing the brunt of the work raising the young.

“The Annual Bat Count involves sitting outside a bat maternity roost at sunset, and for an hour, counting all the bats that come out of that roost to forage for insects,” Rodriguez de la Vega said.

Last year, volunteers around the province sat at 268 roost sites across the province.

“The data collected is really important as it helps us know how the bat populations are doing in B.C.,” Rodriguez de la Vega said.

“We usually do four bat counts at every roost site — two in June to count just the females, and two more starting mid-July when the pups are learning to fly.”

There are sites all over the Okanagan and Similkameen, with many dedicated volunteers. But more are always welcome.

“Some public sites where bats are counted include the O’Keefe Ranch, Fintry Provincial Park, Okanagan Lake South Provincial Park, Peachland Historic School, and Sun Oka Provincial Park. Many homeowners do bat counts as well, some of bat colonies on their barns, bat boxes, or even attics," he said.

Bats in B.C. help control many insects and are considered an essential parts of the province's ecosystems. The count is helpful to track the population, as well as any potential negative impacts of white-nose syndrome, a devastating disease that has decimated populations across Canada and the U.S.

Anyone who wants to get involved with the bat count can click here for more information or email [email protected].