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OT: Daytime Eastern Red Bat?

From:

Stephen Davies

Reply-To:

Stephen Davies

Date:

Mon, 8 Mar 2010 07:24:40 -0800

Hi All

A bit off-topic, I know, but I hope you'll forgive me...

While walking the trails at the National Wildlife Visitor Center in Laurel on Saturday afternoon, we were surprised to see this bat hawking for insects in broad daylight, around 3:00PM. As we usually only see these animals in fading light at the beginning and end of the day, it was a treat to see this one in full sun. I was able to squeeze off a couple of photos, which I've posted on my blog and on Flickr:

http://chlorophonia.blogspot.com/2010/03/eastern-red-bat-03-06-2010.html
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chlorophonia/

From the large size (may 12" wingspan?), golden-orange fur, white shoulder patch and furred interfemoral membrane, I'm guessing this is an Eastern Red Bat (Lasiurus borealis)? I confess I don't know much about these guys, so it would be great if someone out there could either confirm or correct me.

I was concerned that a bat abroad on a winter afternoon might be suffering from white-nose syndrome, an apparent fungal infection which has decimated the populations of certain bat species in the Northeast over the last couple years. However, I understand this disease is primarily affecting those species that roost communally in caves, and red bats are a rather solitary tree-roosting species?  If anyone has any information they can share on this, I'd be very interested. Thanks!

There wasn't a lot to see bird-wise, but we did see a couple of turtles basking (my first this year) - Eastern Painted I think? Again, photo at the above links. And a Northern Mockingbird doing that awesomely goofy wing-lifting display (there - I got a bird in at the end).

Spring is out there somewhere

Cheers

Stephen

Stephen J. Davies
Silver Spring, MD


"I spent a lot of my money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered"  ~ George Best