ABC22 - Alabaster Bat Count 2022 - page 3


   

Saturday, January 29, 2022

10 a.m. and 15 people got together to do our yearly Alabaster Caverns Bat Count. People this year were Oklahoma Parks staff, Members of Oklahoma Dept. of Wildlife, US Fish and Wildlife, Family members who grew up on the property while dad (Mike) was manager, and volunteers from the Selman Bat Watch.

Our final Count this year was 23,418 bats. Myotis was 23,384, Tri-Colored 31, and Big Brown 3.

Click on any photo to see an enlarged version.

abc22.67.jpg
abc22.67.jpg
abc22.68.jpg
abc22.68.jpg
abc22.69.jpg
abc22.69.jpg
A common cave bat (Myotis velifer) No signs of WNS (White Nose Syndrome) Sometimes you get a bunch of bats together forming a mat.
abc22.70.jpg
abc22.70.jpg
abc22.71.jpg
abc22.71.jpg
abc22.72.jpg
abc22.72.jpg
abc22.73.jpg
abc22.73.jpg
abc22.74.jpg
abc22.74.jpg
abc22.75.jpg
abc22.75.jpg
One bat lands, then another snuggles next to it... and then the mat grows. or not... don't know why they do or don't A mat of 6
abc22.76.jpg
abc22.76.jpg
abc22.77.jpg
abc22.77.jpg
abc22.78.jpg
abc22.78.jpg
While other mats can be in the 100's (even thousands)
abc22.79.jpg
abc22.79.jpg
abc22.80.jpg
abc22.80.jpg
abc22.81.jpg
abc22.81.jpg
abc22.82.jpg
abc22.82.jpg
abc22.83.jpg
abc22.83.jpg
abc22.84.jpg
abc22.84.jpg
abc22.85.jpg
abc22.85.jpg
abc22.86.jpg
abc22.86.jpg
abc22.87.jpg
abc22.87.jpg
abc22.88.jpg
abc22.88.jpg
abc22.89.jpg
abc22.89.jpg
abc22.90.jpg
abc22.90.jpg
What happens when a bat farts No, really it's just a natural occurrence.. sometimes there is a hole, sometimes many, many times none.
abc22.91.jpg
abc22.91.jpg
abc22.92.jpg
abc22.92.jpg
abc22.93.jpg
abc22.93.jpg
abc22.94.jpg
abc22.94.jpg
abc22.95.jpg
abc22.95.jpg
abc22.96.jpg
abc22.96.jpg
The Bat Counters for 2022
abc22.97.jpg
abc22.97.jpg
abc22.98.jpg
abc22.98.jpg
abc22.99.jpg
abc22.99.jpg
Matt, Mel, and Mike (adding up the numbers) waiting for the visitors on the trail to come back and take us up the hill on the tram! Final count on the notebook.
   

Click on any photo to see an enlarged version.



Back to D's Old News

Last updated: 1/30/22