Researchers Study Bats Using Special Microphones In Marin

MARIN COUNTY, CA – Ecological researchers in Marin County hope their bat detectors – placed on high poles throughout the county, ShotSpotter-style – will help unmask mysteries of the region's bat population.

In the past two months, researchers from the Marin County Bat Monitoring Project placed special microphones atop tall poles in 31 park and open-space sites around Marin. The devices can pick up high-frequency noises of various species of bats hunting during the night – sounds that are out of
range of human hearing.

"Despite how important these creatures are, we actually know very little about them," Gabriel Reyes, project manager for the U.S. Geological Survey Western Ecological Research Center at Point Reyes National Seashore, said in a statement. "Getting even basic information is essential for our partner agencies who are trying to conserve bat populations."

The project's goal is to gather information on things like the bats' sleeping habits, hunting grounds and where they raise their young, looking at how habitat loss might affect these behaviors.

This is the second year of the project, but the first time it's gone countywide. Last year's effort detected 13 different kinds of bats with seven or eight different species recorded at some sites.

By City News Service / Image via Shutterstock