Over the past month I have spent a great portion of my time out in the field trying to track down little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus). They are the only bat species thought to have a home range that extends as far as Central, AK. I am using several SMZC acoustic monitoring devices to determine the presence or absence of the species. The acoustic monitors are placed within a grid that has been created based on suitable habitats. A microphone is fastened atop a pole and the acoustic unit is strapped to a tree. The two are connected by a microphone cable.

Each unit is placed somewhere within the grid and is then left for a period of two to three weeks. The units automatically begin recording around dusk and stop recording in the early morning. During the recording time if a bat were to fly within range of the microphone an acoustic trigger would be tripped and the device would begin recording. The data cards are collected after the deployment period and the detectors are relocated. The data cards are brought back to the office and analyzed with an acoustic software.

RC