April 21st
Just before midnight on the 20th we caught a 6.1 gram female sodalis. The bat was weighed, measured, fur sample taken, banded (204PGC), fed many mealworms (weighed 6.6 grams after feeding), fitted with a transmitter, released, and followed till after dawn.
Upon release the bat landed close to the area of capture and stayed there till 5:30am (it rained fairly continuously starting 1/2 hour after release till 5am). At 5:30am it took a 1/2 to 3/4 mile jump east.
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The transmitter is encased in clear epoxy and weighs slightly less than 1/2 a gram. |
A small patch of fur is trimmed and the transmitter is affixed with surgical glue. |
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The lucky bat. |
Attached transmitter, the red coating is waterproofing over the soldered connection. |
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Ready for release. |
We hiked cross country with telemetry gear till we found the roost. The area it's in has many dead trees with hollows and exfoliating bark.
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Tree roost #1 |
The crack the bat is roosting in is only four feet off the ground. |
