Abstract
We conducted acoustical bat surveys at 14 high-elevation wetlands in West Virginia, using the Anabat II detection system. In two survey periods (June and August 2002), we recorded seven bat species. Little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) dominated the surveys, constituting 73.6% of all identifiable calls. Big Run Bog, which contains a 2-ha beaver pond with the most structurally "open" habitat in our study, accounted for 71.8% of all identifiable calls, nearly all identified as little brown bats. Observations of note were one Indiana bat (M. sodalis), an endangered species that is present but locally rare, recorded at Big Run Bog, and the evening bat (Nycticeius humeralis) at North Bog, considered an accidental migrant in the region. Although the importance of these mountain wetlands to regional bat communities is not fully understood, our surveys indicate that beaver-impacted wetlands appear to provide suitable foraging habitat for some bat species, including rare species in the region.
Recommended Citation
Francl, Karen E.; Ford, W. Mark; and Castleberry, Steven B.
(2004)
"Bat Activity in Central Appalachian Wetlands,"
Georgia Journal of Science, Vol. 62, No. 3, Article 1.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.gaacademy.org/gjs/vol62/iss3/1