Florida Bonneted Bat Surveys

 Florida Bonneted Bat Habitat Survey

• Florida Bonneted bat Habitat Surveys can be conducted throughout the year
• Often used to determine mitigation strategies

BCM will provide biologists to fully inspect and examine potential habitat for Florida Bonneted bats. During your habitat survey, any potential suitable habitat that is encountered will be permanently documented with photographs, appropriate agency forms as needed, as well as GPS search tracks in your project area. Surveys are customized to client's needs and agency requests, following the most recent USFWS habitat assessment protocol.

Florida Bonneted bat habitat extends to artifical roosts; bat houses, buildings, and other structures. BCM has various visual, acoustic, video, and thermal video tools to properly verify species presence and obtain accurate roost counts in order to best estimate colony size.

Florida Bonneted Bat Acoustic Survey

• Bat Acoustic Monitoring can be conducted year-round, as long as weather conditions meet USFWS protocol
• For non-linear projects, a minimum of 16 detector nights per 20 acres of suitable habitat expected to be impacted is recommended. For linear projects (e.g., roadways, transmission lines), a minimum of five detector nights per 0.6 mile is recommended.
• BCM can obtain study plan concurrence with the USFWS; typically requiring only a few days.
• There is conflicting information on types of acoustic monitoring equipment and software permitted for use on Bonneted bat surveys. The USFWS -does not- specify a specific manufacturers detector or software package be used for analysis. This is the correct policy as there is individual bias in all recording hardware and software analysis, and it is ultimately up to the researcher to interpret the data. 

Acoustic Monitoring. Due to the -relatively- distinct call frequency produced by the Bonneted bat for the purpose of echolocation, acoustic monitoring is an ideal method by which to sample for these bats. This "acoustic capture method" is currently the technique favored to determine Bonneted bat presence ot probably absence. The Bonneted bat is also one of the few bats that can actually be heard with the unaided ear, meaning that it produces very low frequency call pulses. To the trained eye, these sonograms become very easy to distinguish when sorting out bat species from a large group of data, resulting in the potential for highly accurate identification for this species.

However, careful attention needs to be given to the analysis of acoustic recordings as the common Brazillian Free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis), very commonly found throughout all of Florida, can easily produce social calls at any time which can generate false positive results of Florida Bonneted bats in automated bat call analysis software. BCM takes acoustic surveys extremely seriously; with experience starting in the 1990's we know what to look for in the data beyond simply reading the summary spreadsheet. We manually reviews automated results to confirm or reject results of computer-aided analysis, which is really simply a sorting tool. In addition, squirrels, rodents, insects, wind, and other non-bat noises are -always- recorded during bat acoustic surveys. These recording share data space with Bonneted bats and are -often-  erroneously misidentified at Florida Bonneted bats. Misplaced endangered species on the landscape is not only professionally negligent but does little for conservation, and this occurs more often than many realize. 

BCM has been on the forefront of acoustic monitoring, hosting a large variety of workshops and instructional programs for both bat capture and acoustic monitoring techniques and survey methods. We have literally introduced a large number of Florida consultants how to conduct Bonneted bat surveys. With some of the highest quality full-spectrum acoustic monitoring equipment, BCM is fully equipped with the necessary tools to provide you with the highest quality custom acoustic monitoring survey possible.

BCM understands the oft-experienced time constraints associated with certain projects and is happy to consult with clients in order to determine what the best approach is in order to complete the work needed while remaining in compliance with state and federal agency regulations.

As with all results of the fieldwork studies we offer, acoustic data is saved and permanently recorded in its original form for reporting and future recall.

Second Opinions / Data Interpretation

• False positives with acoustic monitoring are REAL and can significantly needlessly delay your development.
• If your consultant reports that you have Florida Bonneted bats in your project area, and does -not- have 25+ years of experience interpreting bat calls, it is recommended you get a second opinion on those recordings regardless if you have submitted a report to an agency. 

Have you already conducted an acoustic survey and looking for a second opinion on your data? BCM may be able to help with its Professional Acoustic Data Analysis Service. If your firm is relatively new to acoustic monitoring for bats, become a partner with BCM to double check your results. 

Next steps . . .

If you would like to discuss your project and would like a custom quote, the following items will be helpful:

• Google Earth KMZ or other GIS file depicting the outline of your project area
• USFWS, FWC, or other agency correspondence to date that relates to request for bat surveys

Please contact John Chenger at jchenger@batmanagement.com or (814) 442-4246 to discuss your project and timelines. John is based in Charlotte County, FL.

About the Florida Bonneted Bat. The Florida Bonneted bat (Eumops floridanus), also known as the Florida Mastiff bat, is considered to have one of the smallest and most restricted ranges of all bats. As a federally listed "critically endangered" species, this rare animal can only be found in southern parts of the state of Florida and is also known to be a "high-flyer", making them extremely elusive and difficult to capture. Due to this fact, there remain many gaps in knowledge in regard to the ecology of this species, instigating several efforts to study and assist in the conservation and management of this endangered species. The Bonneted bat¹s diet consists of a variety of flying insects including moths, mosquitoes, beetles and potentially ground insects, due to its unique ability to take flight from the ground. Because of its large size and low frequency echolocation, this is one of the few bats that can be audibly heard by the human ear.

Preferred Habitat. Although not much is known about the behavior of this species, the Bonneted bat has been most often documented roosting in man-made structures, palms and hollow trees. Having such a limited distribution, this species is only known to occur in limited pockets around much of South Florida. Known to be a year-round resident, the Bonneted bat is active throughout the year and does not migrate during the winter season. Florida Bonneted bats may have young any time of the year, complicating management and mitigation efforts.