Tara J. Thomson

The eastern small-footed bat (Myotis leibii) is a rarely encountered species that has experienced declines in its populations and is currently being petitioned for federal listing. Throughout most of its range, M. leibii roost in rock fields and talus slopes with low canopy cover and high solar exposure. However, we know little about roost characteristics in the southern portion of its range. Therefore, in summers 2011 and 2012, we studied a male-dominated, bridge-roosting population of M. leibii in the Southern Appalachian Mountains to document the characteristics of their roosts. We...

Because numerous cave-roosting bat species are experiencing population declines, especially those affected by the white-nose syndrome epizootic, it is essential to establish rigorous monitoring protocols to accurately track population trends over time. We tested the efficacy of low-cost visual counts to effectively monitor population trends of southeastern myotis (Myotis austroriparius) at a maternity-roost in southwestern Georgia. We conducted visual counts during evening emergence events using white light illumination. Visual counts were made during a 1-minute period out of every 5-...