31 October 2024
On Halloween 2008 I got here throughout a small bat roosting on a tree in Schenley Park, described in A Bat on Halloween. Each time I move the tree, particularly on Halloween, I search for a bat however the possibilities of discovering one are slim to none.
Little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) was probably the most frequent bats in North America however their inhabitants within the Northeast has declined 90% since 2006 due to white nostril syndrome (WNS), a illness attributable to a European fungus that was unintentionally launched by cave explorers close to Albany, NY.
The fungus spreads quickly. It was confirmed county by county in southwestern PA in 2010, 2011 and 2012 and now it spans the continent. Little brown bats had been listed as Endangered by the IUCN in 2021.
There are far fewer bats in Pennsylvania this Halloween than there have been 13 years in the past. It’s unlikely that I’ll ever see a bit of brown bat in daylight once more.
Learn extra about white nostril syndrome at One other Alien Invader and whitenosesyndrome.org.
