Resampling Bat Activity at Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park Using Passive Acoustic Monitoring After the Regional Introduction of White Nose Syndrome

McFarland, Kent; National Park Service

Report on the Resampling of Bat Activity at MABI based upon a survey taken in 2001. We resampled bat activity at Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park (MBRNHP) in 2011 to compare results with similar sampling conducted in 2001 (Reynolds and McFarland 2001). We used an Anabat bioacoustics monitoring system to document the changes in bat activity and diversity that may have occurred in the park due to the region-wide spread of white-nose syndrome (WNS) and to archive acoustic monitoring for future comparisons. A general bat inventory was conducted at Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park (MBRNHP) in July-August 2001 (Reynolds and McFarland 2001). Acoustic monitoring resulted in 1,336 recorded call files from at least seven species. The forty (40) non-Myotis calls belonged to Eptesicus fuscus (n=16), Pipistrellus subflavus (n=15), Lasiurus cinereus, (n=5), Lasionycteris noctivigans (n=3), and Lasiurus borealis (n=1). Most of the acoustic activity for the non-Myotis spp was concentrated in fields, although several calls from P. subflavus were recorded along a roadway within the MBRNHP. The site with the highest level of activity (calls/hour) was Pogue East; particularly at the detector set out over the water near the northern edge of the pond. Most feeding ‘buzzes’ were detected over water, confirming that water sources are primarily attracting feeding and drinking bats whereas trails are being used as travel corridors. The Pogue was found to be critical habitat for bats in the park. Each detection system consisted of an ANABAT ultrasonic detector attached to a zero- crossing analysis interface module (ZCAIM). ‘Real-time’ monitoring of the echolocation calls was achieved by attaching the ZCAIM to an IBM-compatible laptop. All calls were saved to the laptop computer in site-specific directories for analysis. The system was operated on remote mode (automatic data collection) using a weatherproof enclosure. In order to sample continuously throughout the evening, the detector, ZCAIM, and computer were connected to a DC-AC transformer and powered by a 12V battery. In February 2006 near Albany, New York, a caver photographed hibernating bats with an unusual white substance on their muzzles. He noticed several dead bats. The following winter, New York Department of Environmental Conservation biologists documented what they called white nose syndrome after seeing bats behaving erratically, bats with white noses and a few hundred dead bats in several caves. More than a million hibernating bats have died since then, making WNS the worst wildlife health crisis in recent history.