It was rather cool this morning, with a fall-like feel, especially after all the hot, humid weather. With a couple of cooler nights, the lake has become a little cooler, but still nice and warm for swimming, and the fishing remains very good. There were a lot of bass boats on the lake this morning; probably another bass tournament.
We have noticed that there are a lot fewer bats around this summer than there have been in the past; most likely the "White Nose Syndrome" has come to the area around Lake Wicwas. In years past we had a constant stream of bats flying around the waterfront at, or around dark on every warm summer evening - too many to count. This year, if we see any, it's only a couple for just a few minutes. And it's sad, not just for the fun of watching them, and for the bat population, but also for the insect population, as a bat can eat its weight in insects every night.
 |
| Little Brown Bat |
The bats we have at Lake Wicwas are Little Brown Bats, which are affected by White Nose Syndrome, though experts don't know exactly why or how it kills them. One of the symptoms is bats losing their fat stores (needed for winter hibernation), and activity during the day. The past few summers I have observed several instances of bats being out during the day, including this one I actually heard squeaking as I walked by. Going back to investigate the sound, I found it clinging to a hemlock tree. This picture was taken at 11:20 in the morning.
Next weekend is the Lake Wicwas Association annual meeting - Saturday at 9:30am at the Meredith Center Fire Station; we hope to see everyone there!
No comments:
Post a Comment