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| It's 15 minutes before Bat Count... Where is everybody???? | But as it was a foggy, misty morning we waited and alas... the counters arrived!! | We met in the park office as it was misty and cold north wind. Good thing we're going into a warm 42 degree cave! |
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| We had 10 bat counters this year... all repeat counters... so no newbies... | No having to train new people... | ...on the right way to do counts! |
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| Our leader, Park Manager, Mike Caywood! | Right inside the drip line we found them nestled into the cracks... | Everyone got assignments to cover and went to work! |
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| Mike was our recorder... all counts were called out to him. | Some went low.... | Some high... |
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| And some of us stayed on the level (to speak...) | Will we ever see them again??? | The other side of this box says Warning! Do Not Touch! 10,000 Volts! |
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| Some headed into lower cave.... | It stays pretty cold down there... | Usually you can see ice on the walls during the winter! |
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| But there are usually lots of mats of bats... | Whoa...Look up there! | Bats! |
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| Myotis to be sure! | (Common Cave Bat) | Certain places just pinch so you get back on the trail to the next section. |
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| Where are they going?? | Behind the scenes with the lighting system (which is due replacing this year!!) | Very cool picture with an algae background!! |
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| You might say this bat is doing his part in the environment being green!! | The cave has lots of these recorders that take temp, humidity readings. Every so often one connects a device to download the data to analyse. | |
