Study of a Leisler's bat maternity roost in Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland, 1997- 2000 used the marking of individual female bats with PIT (Passive Identification Transponder) tags with infrared filming of bat movements at the roost entrance. This provided data for analysis of bat activity through the maternity season, without interference to the bats. PIT -marked bats were analysed into four activity categories. Evening exits and morning entrances to the roost showed an abrupt change in pattern at 8th June 1999. Flight patterns before and after s" June showed significant changes. Lengths of flight of one- and two-part flights per night were not significantly different. Principle component analysis showed a significant relationship of emergence time to solar radiation at 21 OOh GMT. Patterns of activity in the tunnel to exit, and following entry, were monitored and analysed. Survival rate estimates, Phi, for 1997 to 2000 varied from 0.61 to 0.77. Significant differences in body measurements between female adult and female juvenile bats were demonstrated. The profound changes in behaviour of the bats to sunset and sunrise respectively were also consistent with a risk avoidance strategy in the heavily pregnant females that may be prone to aerial predation risk. The large changes in roost composition while total numbers of bats using the roost remained almost unchanged highlights the problems of attempting to resolve roost phenology by visual roost counting such as the maximal visual roost count on any one night. Analysis of the sequence of emergence and individual consistency in timing of emergence in pregnancy and lactation strongly suggested that this sample of bats did not co-ordinate their behaviour in any way.

No description available.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2006. / Title from PDF title page screen. Advisor: Matina Kalcounis-Rüppell, R. Mark Brigham; submitted to the Dept. of Biology. Includes bibliographical references (p. 60-68).

No description available.

A maternity colony of the big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus) was observed from 21 May 1992 to 12 October 1992. The colony consisted of approximately 110 females at the beginning of the study, and about 180 bats following birth of the young. Bats were observed at emergence to gather data on factors affecting initial emergence: light intensity, temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed, cloud cover, and moon phase. Light intensity and cloud cover apparently are the factors most affecting the variation between initial emergence and sunset. / Department of Biology

The increasing number of proposed wind farm developments in South Africa provides an immediate reason to assess bat activity and diversity, with the expectation of developing measures to mitigate for negative impacts. The overall aim of this thesis was contribute to an understanding of the drivers of bat activity, relevant to wind turbines, and to determine what factors (exogenous – environmental, or endogenous – intrinsic physiological processes) contributed to observed bat activity patterns, at the Metrowind Van Stadens Wind Farm in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. A combination of active (mist netting) and passive (acoustic) bat monitoring techniques were used to determine free-ranging bat activity patterns (Chapter 3). A total of 889 bat passes were recorded over 323 detector nights from the beginning of May 2012 to the end of December 2012. The Cape serotine bat (82 per cent) and the Egyptian free-tailed bat (97 per cent) made up the majority of all bat passes recorded on site. Large variations in bat activity per month and per hour were apparent, with bat activity peaking in May 2012 and during the first few hours after sunset (18:00-23:00). Patterns in nightly, free-ranging bat activity at the site were modelled against various environmental conditions. Month, temperature, wind speed and an interaction between month and rainfall were the most significant predictors of bat activity, explaining 80 per cent of the variation observed on free-ranging bat activity patterns. A total of eight Cape serotine bats (Table 4.1.) were caught in mist nets on site and changes in the resting metabolic rate (RMR) of torpid (n = 6), and normothermic (n = 2) bats, over a 24 hr period, were measured and used to predict free-ranging Cape serotine bat activity (Chapter 4). Cape serotine bats showed a high proclivity for torpor in the laboratory and peaks in RMR were observed at 18:00 (0.89 ± 0.95 VO2 mℓ.g-1.hr-1) and again from 20:00-21:00 (0.89 ± 0.91 VO2 mℓ.g-1.hr-1). Peaks in RMR of torpid individuals coincided with peaks in the average hourly free-ranging activity of the Cape serotine bat, and RMR explained 33 per cent of the variation and was a good predictor of free-ranging bat activity (R2 = 0.2914). This study showed that both exogenous (Chapter 3) and endogenous (Chapter 4) factors drive bat activity in the wild. Although this dissertation was not intended for wind turbine management, the information presented on the biology and activity of bats is important for managing interactions between bats and wind turbines. By determining what factors influence bat activity, we are able to predict when bats will be most active and thus can develop mitigation measures to reduce the potential impacts that wind turbines will have on the bat community. In order to conserve bats and reduce potential bat fatalities from occurring at the site, mitigation measures should be concentrated to those times when bats are most active (May and during the first few hours after sunset – 18:00 to 22:00).

M.Sc. (Biodiversity and Conservation) / The relative activity levels of the Egyptian free-tailed bat (Tadarida aegyptiaca) and Cape serotine bat (Neoromicia capensis) were monitored in eight study areas spanning across the Eastern Cape, Western Cape and Northern Cape of South Africa. The detected activity levels were then used to study the habitat use and temporal distribution (across the night and months of monitoring period) of both species. The effect of weather conditions (namely temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, precipitation and barometric pressure), moon phase and moonlight on activity was also examined. The understanding of these aspects of the ecology of N. capensis and T. aegyptiaca were then used as guidelines to conserve these species with regards to wind farm development in South Africa. Bat activity was monitored by means of a total of seventeen passive monitoring systems consisting of SM2BAT+ bat detectors. The monitoring systems were deployed on the study areas to detect and record bat echolocation calls on a continuous basis throughout the night. Activity was recorded for a variable length of time, between 3 and 12 months, for each study area. The bat detectors were powered by solar energy systems. Habitat use by these species was analysed by comparing the activity amongst the different study areas. Both species showed considerable activity in most study areas depicting them to mostly be generalists inhabiting many habitats across the country. Bat activity amongst the different land use types, vegetation types and climate regions was studied. N. capensis showed significantly higher activity in a fruit farming area and T. aegyptiaca was significantly less abundant in dry and arid conditions than cooler humid environments. The preference for habitat based on altitude and height above the ground was assessed. The highest activity occurred in coastal regions of 0 – 500 m altitude. N. capensis was found to prefer activity at canopy height, and T. aegyptiaca is more of an opportunistic species making use of the most profitable vertical airspace at any one time Analysis of the hourly and monthly distribution of bat activity showed that it can be highly variable across a range of temporal scales from all study areas. On a broad scale, N. capensis was found to limit nightly activity within the first four hours of sunset, mostly peaking within the second hour. T. aegyptiaca tends towards peak activity within the first three hours of the evening, thereafter sustaining more or less constant activity until the ninth hour after sunset. For both N. capensis and T. aegyptiaca, activity in the Eastern Cape is greater over the months of September to March. Western Cape activity shows a general increase into the warm months of September – December followed by a decrease over the hot months of January and February. From the limited data set, activity in the Northern Cape seems to be highest over the months of November, December and April...

The large-scale use of artificial light throughout the night has occurred in the last 100 years and continues to increase globally. Artificial light impacts many animal and plant taxa. The effects of artificial light on bats is species specific. The Namib Desert in Namibia is still relatively dark but subject to the same drivers of increasing development and urbanization that have increased the spread of artificial light globally. This study investigated the effects of the introduction of ultraviolet, yellow and white artificial light on the activity of bats in a rural environment with minimal development in the Namib Desert. Four sites, 100 m apart, had one light and one bat detector each. The fourth light was a dark control. Each site was sampled four times by each light type. Bat activity was recorded by the bat detectors. Eight bat species were recorded during the experiment. Activity increased for open air and clutter-edge foraging species analysed. Broadband white light caused the highest increases in activity followed by yellow light when compared with the dark control site. Ultraviolet light caused the lowest increases in activity contrary to expectations. / Mengwaga ye 100 ya go feta go bile le koketšego ye kgolo ya tšhomišo ya seetša sa maitirelo bošego ka moka. Setlwaedi se se ata kudu lefaseng ka moka go feta pele, gomme se ama diphoofolo tše ntši le mehuta ya dimela. Leganata la Namib go la Namibia gabotse le sa ntše le swiswetše, eupša le ka fase ga dikgontšhi tša go oketša tlhabollo le toropofatšo tšeo di hlotšego koketšego tšhomišong ya seetša sa maitirelo lefaseng ka bophara. Dikhuetšo tša seetša sa maitirelo go memankgagane di fapana go ya ka mohuta. Nyakišišo ye e nyakišišitše dikhuetšo tša tsebagatšo ya seetša sa maitirelo sa go phadima, serolwane le se sešweu go modiro wa memankgagane ka tikologong ya nagaselegae ya go ba le tlhabollo ye nyane ka Leganateng la Namib. Seetša se setee le tithekethara e tee ya mankgagane di hlomilwe go le lengwe le le lengwe la mafelo a mane, a go arogantšhwa ka 100 m. Seetša sa bone se be se le taolo ya leswiswi. Lefelo le lengwe le le lengwe le dirilwe mohlala makga a mane ka mohuta wo mongwe le wo mongwe wa seetša. Modiro wa mankgagane e rekotilwe ka ditithekethara tša mankgagane. Mehuta ya mankgagane ye seswai e rekotilwe nakong ya eksperimente. Modiro wa mehuta ya sebakabakeng le ya go sela thobekgeng ye e sekasekilwego e oketšegile. Seetša se sešweu sa porotepente se hlotše dikoketšego tša modiro, sa latelwa ke seetša se se serolwane, ge se bapetšwa le lefelo la taolo ya leswiswi. Go fapana le ditetelo, seetša sa go phadima se hlotše dikoketšego tša fasefase modirong. / School of Environmental Sciences / M. Sc. (Nature Conservation)