USGS FORT - Ouray National Wildlife Refuge - Bats - 2010

Study Extent

The overall goal for this project was to conduct a baseline inventory of bat species occurring at Ouray NWR. The 3 specific objectives to accomplish this goal were to: (1) identify water sources occurring at Ouray NWR where bats could be captured using mist nets and assess species occurrence; (2) capture and identify bats at these water sites and release unharmed; and, (3) collect echolocation activity of bats to augment species occurrence information.

Sampling

Mist netting surveys occurred the nights of 8-15 June, 7-13 July, and 3-10 August 2010. 11 sites were surveyed with mist nets (fig. 1). During the June field trip, up to 6 nets per night of 9 m, 12 m, and 18 m in length were used. These nets were set on 3-m-high poles. It was difficult to capture bats with 3 such low nets and so much water surface area available on the refuge. Therefore, in July and August 2010, higher, “stacked” nets were used. These stacked nets were 6-m high and used 2, 12-m-long nets on a pulley system based on the system designed by Gardner and others (1989). Two of these stacked nets were used per night during the July and August 2010 field trips.

Quality Control

Complete details of the sampling methods and qa/qc can be found here: http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2011/1032/pdf/OFR2011-1032.pdf

Method steps

1. For additional data, acoustic analysis techniques were employed in June - August. The general locations were chosen nonrandomly to maximize the area sampled at the refuge and specific locations were chosen based on proximity to water, habitat edges, and potential flyways. We recorded acoustic activity of bats from sunset to sunrise on six nights at each station in June (Stations 1-4), July (Stations 1-6), and August 2010 (Stations 1-6). We used the Anabat II bat detectors with programmable zero-crossing analysis interface modules (Anabat CF Storage ZCAIM; Titley Electronics, NSW, Australia). Detectors were placed in weatherproof boxes oriented in random directions and angled 45 degrees to a reflective polycarbonateplastic surface. Detectors were precalibrated to minimize variation in zone of reception among units. Echolocation call data was downloaded from detectors every other day and the storage ZCAIMs was cleared for redeployment.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumChordataClassMammaliaOrderChiropteraFamilyVespertilionidae

1. Animalia
   common name: animals rank: kingdom
2. Chordata
   common name: chordates rank: phylum
3. Mammalia
   common name: mammals rank: class
4. Chiroptera
   common name: bats rank: class
5. Vespertilionidae
   common name: vesper bats rank: family
6. Myotis evotis
   rank: species
7. Antrozous pallidus
   rank: species
8. Eptesicus fuscus
   rank: species
9. Myotis volans
   rank: species
10. Myotis californicus
    rank: species
11. Myotis yumanensis
    rank: species
12. Parastrellus hesperus
    rank: species
13. Corynorhinus townsendii
    rank: species
14. Myotis lucifugus
    rank: species

-109.67102050751 to -109.627075195 longitude; 40.136556199088 to 40.086142549522 latitude