A sound idea for researching Wisconsin’s bats

With the start of spring this week comes the return of migratory birds, but they’re not the only species spreading their wings in Wisconsin.

The state is home to several varieties of bats, whose habits and behavior are of more than passing interest to everyone from biologists to land managers. And although they may seem to be elusive, they’re more prevalent than many would believe.

“I’ve taken out our acoustic monitoring equipment just to test it,” said Breanne Klockzien of Beaver Creek Reserve in Fall Creek near Eau Claire, referring to a device used to locate bats by sound. “I found bats everywhere I went, when just walking around my neighborhood.”

Klockzien is coordinator of the Citizen Scientists program for the nonprofit nature center, which trains volunteers to use echolocation equipment to track and monitor bats. She spoke with WPR’s Robin Washington on “Morning Edition” before running a training session for this year’s participants, who will spend the next three months tracking the eight species of bats native to Wisconsin. 

This conversation has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Robin Washington: Before you tell me why you’re tracking bats, tell me the what and the where: Are you leading people into caves? If so, what will you do if you find any bats?

Breanne Klockzien: We won’t be going into caves. We’re having our training at the Beaver Creek Reserve Citizen Science building, and we’ll be getting to know the equipment.

And then, between April and September, which is the active season for bats, participants will monitor their specific locations for the bats. They’ll do that about three to four times during that active season.

RW: What species are native to Wisconsin?

BK: There are four different kinds of cave bats and four different tree bats — eight species in total. When the winter comes, the cave bats head into caves, mines and crevices to escape the cold. The tree bats tend to migrate to find warmer climates for hibernation.

RW:  Do you do anything to attract them or do you just wait for them to show up?

BK: We don’t do anything to attract them. We want the survey to be as natural as possible when we’re doing the acoustic monitoring, so we’re kind of just walking around and seeing what sort of bats are in the area. They tend to prefer habitats around open fields, along forest and field edges and along shorelines.

RW: How does acoustic monitoring work? Bats get around using a form of sonar, correct?

BK: Right. Acoustic monitoring was developed when we found out that bats use echolocation, which is a great way for bats to find out what’s in front of them while they’re flying through the dark night sky. It helps them to capture prey and avoid collisions with things like trees, branches and infrastructure. 

We use a tablet and an echometer, and we walk around in a big circle. The acoustic monitor captures the bats’ echolocation calls and records it along with the date, time and location. Sometimes it’ll give you a species right then, during the search. Otherwise we get the species later on when we download the data.

RW: Why is bat tracking needed?

BK: It’s difficult to get information on bats, which are very misunderstood and understudied. Acoustic monitoring helps bat biologists get information on activity levels, species diversity, habitat types and overall status and trends of bat populations.

RW: That lack of information leads to stereotypes, and the first one that pops into everyone’s minds is Dracula. Do they really suck blood, and if so, human blood? And most importantly, blood of Wisconsin humans?

BK: That is a very big misconception. There actually is a species called vampire bats that do drink blood, though not normally human.

In Wisconsin, we’re pretty safe because all our species are insectivores. They tend to stay away from humans unless you have some bugs right around your face. They’re not normally dangerous.

RW: The bat tracking registration is full for this year, but you have other Citizen Scientist programs.

BK: Yes. We do a lot with birds and also have freshwater programs, like mussel monitoring, aquatic invasives and everything in that realm.

If you have an idea about something in northern Wisconsin you think we should talk about on “Morning Edition,” send it to us at northern@wpr.org.