Wildlife advocacy group working to rid state of rat poisons
Rodenticides are killing and harming wildlife, eliminating the very creatures that help keep rodent populations in check.
Batty About Bats
How many mosquitoes can a bat eat in a night....?
WatchOout — There’s Owls About
The hoot of Japan’s most common owl is soft and sonorous, but it can be heard up to 2 km away. When I stay out in the woods at night, with a small campfire and something to sip on, I love to hear the owls calling … “Ooooo-hoo-hoo.” They don’t make a lot of noise but when they do give voice, you know about it!
Owls Well That Ends Well For Lost Bird
An owl and her owners have returned to the Giant's Causeway to thank National Trust staff and local people who helped reunite them. Patricia O'Callaghan and Terry Turkington were holidaying on the north coast two weeks ago when their beloved barn owl Arya escaped.
Think Fast! Bats Make Decisions In Mere Milliseconds
Bats are among nature's quickest thinkers, capable of making actual split-second decisions. Using echolocation, or ultrasonic squeaks to locate prey, bats interpret the returning echo to decide when and how to attack, or even to call off the attempt — all within milliseconds, as researchers at the University of Southern Denmark discovered.
Bats In Your Attic?
Big brown bats and little brown bats are year-round residents of Maine and New Hampshire. The other six species that call our region home actually migrate to warmer climes or hibernacula during the winter. Of the eight species that call our region home, six species are now listed as Special Concern status: eastern small-footed myotis (Myotis leibii), little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus), Northern long-eared myotis (Myotis septentrionalis), red bat (Lasiurus borealis), hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus), silver-haired bat (Lasionycterus noctivigans), Eastern pipistrelle (Pipistrellus subflavus). Maine is considering listing the little brown bat and the Northern long eared for endangered listing. The crash in populations can be attributed to White Nose Syndrome, and there is much to be learned about the habitats and behaviors of these special species. The Center for Wildlife is proud of our work with bats (and all of our species!) because treating each individual can make a big difference to local ecology. Bats can consume their body weight in insects each night, which means a great deal to human health (think mosquitoes and EEE or West Nile), agriculture (USDA estimates bats provide 3 billion dollars worth of agricultural pest control each year in our country), and forestry (picture over-population of gypsy moths).
