National Park Service

 

Date of this Version

3-2017

Citation

Natural Resource Report NPS/HOME/NRR 2017/1401 / NPS 368/136848, March 2017, v, 17 pages

Also available at: http://www.nature.nps.gov/publications/nrpm/

Please cite this publication as:

Licht, D. S. 2017. Homestead National Monument of America bat acoustic monitoring September 2016. Natural Resource Report NPS/HOME/NRR—2017/1401. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado.

Comments

United States government work. Public domain material.

Abstract

Abstract

Homestead National Monument of America is a 211-acre park located in an agrarian landscape in southeastern Nebraska. From September 16 to October 1, 2016, park staff deployed acoustic monitors at three sites in the park for purposes of monitoring night-time bat activity. The three sites averaged 179, 48, and 33 bat detections per night. Night-time bat activity was generally highest in the 1-2 hours following sunset.

Based on the acoustic surveys the big brown (Eptesicus fuscus), eastern red (Lasiurus borealis), northern long-eared (Myotis septentrionalis) and evening bats (Nycticeius humeralis) were present at the park in September of 2016, with the big brown, eastern red, and evening bats most commonly recorded. The hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus) was likely also present although the sample size was small. There was insufficient evidence to conclude the presence of the silver-haired (Lasionycteris noctivagans), little brown (Myotis lucifugus), tricolored (Perimyotis subflavus), and Brazilian free-tailed (Tadarida brasiliensis) bats. It’s conceivable that all of those species occasionally occur at the park. The presence of the northern long-eared bat (myotis) is notable because it is listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act.

Acoustic monitoring should be conducted at the park again in the future. Summer surveys would identify what species are present during the breeding season. Additional surveys in late September from the same three recording stations could provide information on changes over time. Mist-netting would complement the acoustic surveys and provide other information such as sex and age composition of the bat community.

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