Cayuga Birders, While this is not specifically about birds, and most people may already know about White Nose Syndrome, I thought it might be of interest, as many of us would see bats while out birding or owling in the evenings. I guess I would add that last summer, when I lived near Saratoga Springs, I would find dead bats on my windowsills, and a couple times bats would fly right through my wide-open windows on hot nights (there were no bugs, either, no need for screens!!) and slam into the wall and drop to the floor, dead.
Don Timmons Newfield > >From: "Brauning, Daniel" <[email protected]> >Subject: [PABIRDS] 125+ bats in East Brady >To: [email protected] > > >Carole and PA Birders, > > >What you have described is an outbreak of White Nose Syndrome (WNS) >-- a fungal disease that has been devastating the hibernating bat >populations across eastern North America. This is the typical >scenario: bats, infected with this disease, have been massing >toward the entrance of their hibernacula in mid-winter (long before >they should be coming out of hibernation). Then, during a winter >warm spell (like we are in now), they emerge from their mine and >attempt to forage across the landscape. Well, there is very little >food, and depleted of resources and infected by the fungus, they die >in large numbers. So, Carole, you witnessed one of the most >unprecedented wildlife population collapses of modern history, and >due to a disease! > >You are also correct that this is a heavy mining area, and these >abandoned mines are used extensively by bats for hibernation. There >are probably many mines in the area, but this location (Rt 68 in >Armstrong county) is fairly close to one of the state's largest >hibernacula - Long Run Mine. This mine is (or should I saw was) >inhabited by a colony of roughly 90,000 bats, including >approximately 100 federally-endangered Indiana bats (one of PA's >largest concentrations). Little brown myotis and tri-colored bats >(formerly eastern pipistrelles) also hibernate here (from the >Important Mammal Area site description). If this follows recent >history, 98% of those bats will be gone next year. > >We were already aware WMS is at Long Run but your report further >confirms the extent of the impact. There is little that can be >done. WNS moved across Pennsylvania from east to west over the past >4 years. > >For more information, the official FWS site is: >http://www.fws.gov/whitenosesyndrome/ > >Note, that PA's own Cal Butchkoski creates the WNS national map. As >a bat conservationist with the Game Commission for the past nearly >30 years, his conservation work is being undone before his eyes! > >Sorry for the gloomy report on a mild February day. > >Daniel Brauning >Wildlife Diversity Chief >Pennsylvania Game Commission -- Gregory W. Grove, Ph.D. Genomics Core Facility 407 Chandlee Lab, Penn State 814 865 3332 [email protected] -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
