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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇

@albertabats.bsky.social
4.1K followers 4K following 1.3K posts

Alberta Community Bat Program (www.albertabats.ca). Promoting bat conservation, stewardship & education. A program of WCS Canada (Wildlife Conservation Society Canada) and a member of the WCS Canada Western Bat Program.

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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
🦇Rare in Alberta, Eastern Red Bats are long-distance migrants that roost alone in tree foliage, camouflaged like dead leaves or pine cones. Females may raise up to four pups (which is wild!). And borealis means “northern”... so is “Eastern” really the best name? #HappyBaturday #NorthernRedBat
Two photographs of a Red Bat. At top, a reddish-brown bat hangs upside down among green leaves, camouflaged against the foliage. Below, a golden-red bat flies against a black background with its wings extended. Text reads: “Red Bat, Lasiurus borealis. Rare in Alberta. Long-distance migrator.” An orange label says “COSEWIC endangered.” WCS Canada Western Bat Program and Alberta Community Bat Program logos appear at the bottom.
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Looking for the 🦇people on BlueSky? We have a starter pack for that! (Two actually)! #JustCantGetEnough go.bsky.app/2t1aJW2
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
We see lots of art under bridges—but not always this lovely! 🎨 A detector beneath this one records ultrasonic bat calls (not conversations). Artist @algueux spotted our sign and left us a bat. 🦇 If you find one of our monitoring stations, please leave it in place. 📷 Cory Olson
Under a concrete bridge, blue support pillars rise from a shallow river. Two black-and-white murals—one of a riverside landscape and one of a flowering thistle—decorate the lower wall. Above them, a painted bat silhouette appears over the artist’s name, “Algue 26.” A small bat-monitoring information sign is attached to the centre pillar.
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Re-wild a little. Help bats a lot. 🦇🌙🌿 Plant a Moon Meadow for moths or a Bat Garden with native host plants for insects bats eat. Add shrubs & trees, skip pesticides and keep nights dark. Small changes can make better habitat. albertabats.ca/resources
Graphic titled “Re-WILD FOR BATS!” featuring a close-up photo of a Big Brown Bat clinging to tree bark. Text encourages people to garden with native plants, shrubs and trees, reduce pesticide use, and minimize lighting at night. It directs readers to the Bat-friendly Communities Guidebook at albertabats.ca/resources. Alberta Community Bat Program and WCS Canada logos appear at the bottom. Photo credit: Jason Headley.
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
We aren't the only team at @wcscanada.org that uses bioacoustics! Much like our bat detectors record "bat sounds" our arctic team is busy recording ocean sounds with recorders installed on the seafloor. Great episode featuring our colleague Bill Halliday. #ListeningForWildlife (and boats)
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
🦇Bats live long lives and they also appear resistant to diseases, including cancer! New research explores this relationship by examining genomes of Myotis bats. What can we learn from bats? www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Insights into longevity and virus-driven adaptation from Myotis bat genomes - Nature
Comparative and functional analyses of Myotis bats uncover unique patterns of adaptation in virus-interacting proteins and longevity-associated pathways, linking two hallmarks of bat biology.
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
🦇International Bat Night is August 29–30! Alberta’s bats are on the move: long-distance migrants may travel 2,000 km or more, while some resident bats move over 500 km to winter sites within the province. Watch at sunset—and imagine their journeys across our night skies! #BatsNeedFriends
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
🦇Cool, humid and stable hibernacula help bats conserve energy through winter—but those same conditions allow Pd, the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome, to grow. That overlap is what makes the disease so damaging to hibernating bats. Our Western Bat Team is fighting back with topical probiotics.
Infographic titled “White-nose Syndrome, caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd).” A culture dish and a photograph of a bat with visible white fungal growth accompany a table comparing conditions favourable to Pd with those needed by hibernating bats. Pd grows from about 0–20°C, optimally at 12.5–15.8°C, and favours 95–100% relative humidity, darkness, moisture, stable conditions and little air movement. Hibernating bats generally select cool, stable sites of 2–10°C with 90–100% relative humidity, darkness, quiet and little airflow. Pd thrives in winter, colonizing bat skin and causing repeated arousals while bats have lowered body temperatures and suppressed immune systems. Key takeaway: the conditions that support successful bat hibernation closely overlap with those that allow Pd to grow.
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Tools of a Bat Biologist: Bat Detectors 🦇 Bats navigate and hunt using ultrasonic calls—sounds too high for us to hear. Bat detectors bring those calls into our hearing range and allow biologists to record and examine them. What can we learn by listening to bats? A thread… 1/2
Image of a Little Brown Myotis in flight with a radio-tag on its back and a numbered split ring band on its wing. Image has bat with mouth open and there are lines indicating that it is echolocating. Text reads tools of a bat biologist: bat detectors. How do scientists listen to the night? Logo WCS Canada Western Bat Program. Photo by Charles FrancisImage of Dr Cori Lausen, our director of bat research, setting up a bat detector for long-term monitoring at the edge of a wetland in a remote setting (grasslands and wet vegetation are seen in the background along with low mountains). Text reads Bat detectors - used by our Western Bat Team to record migrating bats and to determine the composition of bat communities. Deployed for months at a time. Logo WCS Canada Western Bat Program. Photo of a red car with a roof-mounted microphone on top and cables leading to the car interior. Text reads roof-mounted microphones - used by our Western Bat Team as part of the North American Bat Monitoring Program - mobile transects. Logo WCS Canada Western Bat Program. Dimly lit photo of a masked bat biologist holding a bat bag in one hand and a detector in the other. Labels read "Bat in bag" pointing at bag (shown with lines indicating an echolocating bat inside vocalizing) and the labels Yuma? Little Brown? around the detector. Text reads Hand-held detectors- Used by our Western Bat Team along with morphological measurements to distinguish Little Brown Myotis from Yuma Myotis Photo by Jordi Segers
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
A busy weekend at Dinosaur Provincial Park! We participated in their festival celebrating dark skies, stars, and nocturnal wildlife this weekend. Hosted the bat booth, gave a bat talk and led a bat walk on Saturday evening to 64 participants! A beautiful summer weekend in Alberta!🦇
A Western Small-footed Myotis peers out from a rock roost. This is a small 5gram bat with yellow fur and black ears, face and wings. Photo by Jason Headley.A photo of the Dinosaur Provincial Park pavilion in front of the visitor centre. Blue sky and badlands in the background. Photo: SHolroydPhoto of a box on a sandy area with the words Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta stamped on it (this is used by interpreters who lead groups on fossil exploration excursions in the protected area of the park). The background is a spectacular vista of the Alberta badlands and blue sky. Photo: SHolroydA photo of a prickly-pear cactus at ground level against a blue sky. Sharp eyes might find a remnant fossil in the stones in the foreground of the photo (you can go many steps without finding something in this area!) Photo: SHolroyd
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
🦇New research co-authored by WCS Canada’s Cori Lausen shows how extreme heat threatens Yuma Myotis. Females tolerated up to 44°C by letting their bodies heat up to conserve water—but dangerously hot artificial roosts can still cause lethal dehydration. doi.org/10.1093/jmam...
Photo of Yuma Myotis held on a blue gloved hand by Kyle Nelson.
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
🦇Many people think bats only eat mosquitoes. In reality, Alberta bats consume a huge variety of insects including moths, beetles, flies, caddisflies, and agricultural pests. (but many Alberta bats DO also eat mosquitoes!) #BatsAreFriends
Graphic reading, “Bats eat more than just mosquitoes.” A close-up photograph shows a big brown bat held in a blue-gloved hand. Surrounding illustrations depict moths, beetles and other insects that bats eat. Alberta Community Bat Program logo and albertabats.ca appear at the bottom.
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
🦇 August is a busy time for bats! Young bats are learning to hunt, everyone is fattening up, resident bats are heading toward swarming and hibernation sites—and our long-distance migrants are already on the move.
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
🦇 Bat on your porch? Don’t panic! It may be a youngster seeking shelter or an adult moving between summer and winter habitat. Guano without a visible bat may mean a temporary night roost. Set a flowerpot underneath to catch droppings—your visitor will soon move on. #BatsNeedFriends
August “Bats on the Move” graphic showing a little brown bat hanging head-down on a textured wall beneath a roof overhang. Text asks, “Do you have a temporary visitor?” Alberta Community Bat Program logo and albertabats.ca appear below. Additional stamp says "temporary" Photo by Sherri Buchignani
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Keep an eye out for young bats taking their first flights! Like baby birds, new flyers can be awkward and may end up on buildings, in exposed spots or on the ground after a crash landing. Some need a “bat hospital”; others may just need a little help. What to do: www.albertabats.ca/foundabat%F0...
Graphic of a brown bat flying toward the viewer with its wings spread against a starry night sky. Text reads: “Young Bats Are Taking First Flights.” Alberta Community Bat Program and WCS Canada logos appear at the lower left.
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
#JobOpportunity! The WCS Canada Western Bat Program is hiring a Data Management Specialist to support our conservation database, ecological data management, quality assurance, reporting and visualization. Apply by August 3 and join the Bat Team! 🦇 (wcscanada.bamboohr.com/careers/106?...)
Close-up of a western small-footed myotis held gently in gloved hands, its mouth open and tiny teeth visible. Text reads: “Join #TeamBat—see link to apply! Closing date 3rd August.” WCS Canada Western Bat Program logo. Photo: Jason Headley.
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
🦇 Tools of a Bat Biologist: Mist Nets These fine-mesh nets allow trained researchers to safely capture bats for identification, health assessments, disease monitoring and conservation research. Follow the thread from setup to release! 🧵 #BatResearch #BatConservation
Five bat biologists carry metal poles, ladders and bundled mist nets through a dry, grassy valley surrounded by steep, forested mountains. Text reads, “Tools of a Bat Biologist: Mist nets.” WCS Canada Western Bat Program logo. Photo by Jason Headley.
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
🦇 A night in the field! Researchers safely capture, assess, and release bats while testing probiotics as one potential tool to help combat white-nose syndrome. Every healthy bat helps us better understand and protect Alberta's bats.
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
🦇 Fun when you stumble across bat outreach you helped create and completely forgot about! 😄 Thanks to @naturelabs.bsky.social for this fantastic educator resource covering many of the bat topics we share with the public. Check it out! naturelabs.ca/susan-l-holr...
naturelabs.ca
Alberta Bats | Susan L. Holroyd - Nature Labs
Are bats the grizzly bears of the sky? Yes, says Susan Holroyd, a regional coordinator with the Alberta Community Bat Program. It’s why Alberta Community Bat Program and others like it across Canada a...
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
A fantastic photo of a Little Brown Bat at Beauvais Lake Provincial Park from one of our followers. We've been busy this summer capturing bats, swabbing wings, and applying probiotics to roosts to help populations facing white-nose syndrome. See albertabats.ca for ways you can help bats! 🦇
Beautiful shot of a Little Brown Myotis resting on the bark of a tree (by Jennifer Chik) at Beauvais Lake Provincial Park. Text reads Once commmon...now rare...Little Brown Myotis have been devastated by white-nose syndrome across their range and face continued threats from habitat loss, prey declines and direct mortality from inappropriate building exclusions. Learn more at albertbats.ca Logo Alberta Community Bat Program WCS Canada
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
We have been working with the Canadian Wildlife Federation @cwf-fcf.bsky.social and the BC Community Bat Program to create a new Bat-friendly Communities certification program! Check it out! 🦇 bit.ly/4fdaUiE
bit.ly
Bat-friendly Community Certification
Uniting communities in the conservation of bats and the habitat we share.
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Reposted by Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇
Elly is 3 birds in a gardening hat @almost-elly.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Today I went to my local Wild Birds Unlimited and saw this lil fella who's an ambassador for @albertabats.bsky.social! He was found with a wing injury several years ago and can't fly anymore. His caretaker said he lives in a little tent and eats mealworms from a bowl.🥺 Great educator, great bat!
A little bat sleeping on a fake? log with real? leaves, standing on a table in a shopA closeup of the adorable little sleeping bat. He looks like a tiny hedgehog with wings
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
🦇 A new CMAJ paper describes Ontario's recent human rabies case. If you have direct contact with a bat - even if you don't notice a bite or scratch - seek medical attention immediately. Rabies post-exposure treatment is safe and can prevent disease when given promptly. www.cmaj.ca/content/cmaj...
cmaj.ca
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
🦇 #HappyBaturday! Bat Kits are now available for library loan! Borrow a kit to listen for bats, learn about these amazing mammals, and share your observations in the guest book. We'd love your feedback! Find participating libraries: www.albertabats.ca/batkits/
Two children stand on a trail at dusk, looking at the screen of a handheld bat detector in a bright green protective case as they listen for bats flying overhead. Trees line the trail and the evening sky is darkening, emphasizing that bats are active after sunset. Visible text on the image reads: "Sign out a Bat Kit! Hear the bats you can't see." Near the bottom: "A library loan with a wild side." Alberta Community Bat Program (WCS Canada) logo and the website "albertabats.ca/batkits". Small vertical photo credit reads: "Listening for bats in the Weaselhead. YYC/Lindsey Wallace."
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
I'm not sure when this story was posted but this is EXACTLY the kind of conservation strategy we advocate for bats! Way to go #Nanaimo for taking care of this colony. Great story! 🦇 youtube.com/shorts/df3N2...
youtube.com
Volunteers turn attic into bat haven
YouTube video by CBC British Columbia
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Another nice article about the use of the WCS Canada-created probiotic treatment for bats currently being deployed in Jasper National Park. 🦇 www.ctvnews.ca/edmonton/art...
ctvnews.ca
Parks Canada working to curb spread of deadly white-nose syndrome in Alberta bats
Parks Canada crews are at work in Alberta’s bat caves, spreading a blend of bacteria to try to save the flying night mammals from a deadly, and accelerating, fungal infection.
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
🦇Jasper National Park is using our probiotic formula to help protect their bats. It made the news! Including shots of our WCS Canada bat team at work. #ProbioticProject youtube.com/shorts/6a0Q-...
youtube.com
Parks Canada trying to slow spread of fatal disease in bats
YouTube video by CTV News
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
🦇Our probiotic project continues! This "bat condo" at Quiet Hills Ranch near Edmonton was treated with the probiotic after an official "bat count" conducted by our 2026 interns. The total exiting was just above 700 bats but we expect to see closer to 1,000 emerge on a warm night. #ProbioticProject
Photo of a large brown bat condo with a smaller black four-chambered nursery box attached to one of the supporting posts. Green trees and a blue sky provide the background. Text reads Bat Condo! Logo WCS Canada Alberta Community Bat Program. photo: Cory OlsonLarge accumulation of black, granular bat guano under the bat condo. The image shows the area circled in orange with a poop emoji and an arrow pointing towards the guano. Logo WCS Canada Alberta Community Bat Program. Photo: Cory OlsonOur two 2026 interns conducting an official roost count at the condo. The two interns are seated and bundled up for the cool night and are looking towards the condo in the background of the photo. An infrared camera is set up on a tripod taking images of the bats exiting the condo. Photo: Cory OlsonThis condo site is a probiotic application location as part of our current project. Image shows a person in a yellow raincoat and a long tube applying the probiotic to the inside of one of two four-chambered nursery boxes attached to the support legs of the condo. Probiotic was also sprayed inside the condo - this was done after the females had left the roost to forage for the evening. Photo: Cory Olson.
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
🧡🦇Today we celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day & recognize the cultures, histories, knowledge systems & contributions of First Nations, Métis, & Inuit Peoples across Canada. The bats we study & protect share lands & waters cared for by Indigenous Peoples since time immemorial. 🪶
Close up image of a Hoary Bat showing the yellow ruff around the face, dark eye, and frosted tips of the cinnamon coloured fur on it's back. This bat was found during migration in a sagebrush bush - an unusual roost for a Hoary but it was the tallest thing around that it could have rested in. We think it got caught as the sun was rising and, exhausted from flying, took shelter in this low roost. Normally they would be found in tall trees. Photo by Lethbridge naturalist Ted Nanninga - kindly shared with the bat program. Logo - WCS Canada Alberta Community Bat Program.
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
🦇 Every year, thousands of migratory bats are killed at wind energy facilities - many deaths can be prevented with proven operational changes. Protect bats. Protect biodiversity. Let's make wind energy safer for wildlife. #Bats #WindEnergy #Conservation #AlbertaBats
An image of a Silver-haired Bat in a spruce tree in Alberta. Dark almost black bat with silver fur on it's back. Mouth is slightly open - likely it is echolocating. The Text reads Migratory Bats need Protection. make Wind Energy Developments safe for bats. Legislate operational guidelines to prevent unnecessary bat deaths. Learn more albertabat.ca/wind logo WCS Canada's Alberta Community Bat Program. Image of the bat by Benjamin Morrow
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
A great backgrounder webinar on the (global) issue of bats and windpower given by Dr. Winnifred Frick of @batcon.org We are all in agreement that there needs to be legislation protecting migratory bats. Protective measures need to be deployed (yesterday!)🦇 youtu.be/Qr4hQc1auak?...
youtu.be
Webinar: Reducing the risk of wind energy to bats
YouTube video by Convention on Migratory Species (CMS)
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
🦇We are SO grateful to the Alberta Ecotrust Foundation for their support for our Probiotics Project! We've already been hard at work with a full month of field work in May! We are learning more about the effectiveness of the probiotic & necessary application rates/frequency. #HelpingBats
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
🦇We have updated our summer event calendar! Check it out! Our hosts are conservation partners - come out and experience Alberta nightlife! Learn about bats! www.albertabats.ca/events/
albertabats.ca
events - Alberta Community Bat Program
The Alberta Community Bat Program holds many events throughout the year, many of which are open to the public and suitable for the whole family. Some of these events can be found on our Calendar below...
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
🦇White-nose syndrome in bats continues to spread northwards. We coordinated bridge sampling with the territory biologists (looking at bat species and presence of the WNS fungus). Territory bios continue to monitor bat health. Not unexpected but not good news. www.gov.nt.ca/en/newsroom/...
gov.nt.ca
White-Nose Syndrome and the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome in bats found in the Northwest Territories– what you need to know | Government of Northwest Territories
The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) has confirmed the first case of white-nose syndrome (WNS) and the fungus that causes the disease (Pseudogymnoascus destructans or Pd) in the Fort Smi...
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
#CountYourBats Our community science project has a couple of hundred registrants! We need everyone to count (and report their numbers) this year! Pick a warm night & enjoy the sunset with the bats! 🦇 (see albertabats.ca/communityscience for details)
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
🦇 Last month, Alberta naturalist Brian Keating joined our team in the field as we captured bats, collected wing swabs, and photographed wings for our Alberta probiotic study. Hear Brian's reflections on bat conservation and field research in this CBC interview. See the first comment for the link!⬇️
Photo of a bat wing showing scarring from white-nose syndrome. Photo: Brian KeatingPhoto of a bat wing under UV light showing fluorescing signs of Pd (the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome). Fluorescence is orange. Photo: Brian KeatingBat bios at work setting up mist nets as part of our probiotic project work (and yes, we caught some bats in these nets)! Photo: Brian KeatingA bat biologist holds a Little Brown Myotis beside a mist net. Photo: Brian Keating
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
It's time to count bats! 🦇🦇🦇 This year is an important one for data collection. We would like to see what is going on with bat colonies across the province. Please encourage everyone with a bat colony to do a count (and offer to help them)!
Photo of a bat flying along with "tick marks" indicating counts. Text reads it's time to count bats! Download a datasheet - www.albertabats.ca/communityscience Pick a warm night - low wind and no rain. Period 1 June 1st to July 14th. Period 2 July 15th to August 15th. Get Comfortable - set up a lawn chair 30min before sunset with a good vantage point, preferably with the roost backlit by the sky. First counts start June 1st! Logo Alberta Community Bat Program.
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
Big. Old. Trees. (with defects like peeling bark, holes, cracks, crevices). TAKE A LONG TIME TO DEVELOP. New paper out estimates that it takes a century for a good roost tree to develop in eastern forests. For western bats - that could be much longer. 🦇 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
Tree roosts used by an endangered bat require almost a century to develop
As a forest-dependent species, the endangered Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) is reliant on large-diameter tree roosts (hereafter, “roosts”), which are u…
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Bat work has begun again in the lower mainland! Teams are capturing bats, swabbing wings, & checking for signs of white-nose syndrome & wing damage while roost counts are underway. Long field nights + dedicated volunteers = important bat conservation work! 🦇 #ProbioticProject #BritishColumbia
Mist net set up in the lower mainland of British Columbia as part of the Probiotic Project that aims to continue to monitor bat health. Currently, the probiotic has shown to help improve survival rates of bats facing white-nose syndrome infection. The team will continue to monitor to see how bats fare over time. The image is of a net set up in front of a building, multiple black blobs are seen hanging in the almost invisible net - these are bats that have emerged from a known roost location!Two members of the probiotic team stand in front of a bat hanging in a mist net. They are gloved and wearing masks and headlamps in preparation to remove the bat from the net. PPE protects the bats. Bats are gently removed and then released after being measured and swabbed. Bat identification is tricky - the image shows two different bat species - both small and brown. Little Brown and Yuma Myotis are almost identical in appearance but their echolocation call is distinct (so is their genetics). Bats are being held in black gloved hands. A small brown bat is being held in a black gloved hand. He doth protest. This bat is being measured, weighed and the green device in the background is a PIT tag reader - used to identify individuals from a small chip that has been given to each bat. Text reads measuring, assessing and check for PIT tags.
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
#HappyBaturday! Our 2026 field season has begun! We’re assessing bats as they emerge from hibernation by swabbing wings to study microbiomes and bat health, photographing wings for white-nose syndrome damage, and applying probiotics at treatment sites to compare with controls. #ProbioticProject 🦇
Text reads Happy Baturday The 2026 field season has started. We have been capturing and swabbing bat wings and mouths!) to better understand bat health. Logo Alberta Community Bat Program WCS Canada www.albertabats.ca
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
#BatJobs! 🦇 Want to spend your summer working with bats & gaining hands-on research experience? We’re hiring TWO summer interns through WCS Canada! Get introduced to bat conservation & field research in western Canada. 📅 Applications close May 18 — don’t wait! wcscanada.bamboohr.com/careers/105
wcscanada.bamboohr.com
Research and Monitoring Technician
Position Title: Data Technician (2 positions) Position Type: Full-time, Term  Salary: $25 per hour Term: June 1-July 24, 2026 Programs: Alberta Bat Program Location: This role includes a blend of home...
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
We’ve been working to standardize bat survey datasheets across Canada 🦇 - to improve consistency and data quality. The latest version (with field descriptions + guidance on assessing male reproductive condition) is now available: “Dataforms, Keys, and Codes for Bat Surveys” doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
Townsends Big-eared Bat being held by a bat research in black gloves. The bat is being held gently in one hand with the other hand gently extending the wing. Photo by Jason HeadleyScreen shot of the Bat Capture Form that can be found and downloaded as part of the "Dataforms" link provided in the caption.Screenshot of some of the descriptions, diagrams and photos to explain data fields on the data sheets. This tab under "male Repro Codes Illustrated" shows male reproductive anatomy both as diagrams and photos. A useful guide to assessing males.
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
Treating white-nose syndrome in bats just got a little harder. We are hoping we can make up funding shortfalls somehow because this is just too important.🦇 www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
Trump cut funding for B.C. researchers. It could spell trouble for bats | CBC News
Geopolitical realities now pose a potential threat to bats, since the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump cut off funding for B.C. researchers who had been working on both sides of the borde...
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
Meet BatBot 🦇 - our new AI assistant at albertabats.ca! Find it under “FAQs & AI Assistant” on the homepage. Unlike general AI, BatBot uses trusted bat resources we’ve curated - so it’s tailored for western Canada. Ask it anything: bat houses, WNS, even advocacy tips! #HappyBaturday #BatBot
Introducing "BatBot" built to answer all your bat questions, trained on all our bat resources. Logo WCS Canada Alberta Community Bat Program albertabats.ca Large white text box is a screen shot of BatBot on the albertabats website. Background is a deep blue/black night sky.
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
🦇🌎🧪🦊White-nose syndrome is in Alberta (but not everywhere) and British Columbia is still largely unaffected. Be aware. Use decontamination protocols to reduce any chances of spreading the disease. #Cavers #BuildingManagers #Biologists especially.
Picture of a bat with white-nose syndrome in a hibernation site with characteristic white fungal growth on face, ears and wings (by Greg Horne of our BatCaver Team). Text reads Decontamination Protocols are required - cavers, building roosts, anytime you are in contact with bat guano or bats! Be especially mindful when moving between sites or to areas with no record of white-nose syndrome. Logo WCS Canada Western Bat ProgramBlack background with speckles of white and a shadowy outline of a bat behind text. Text reads White-nose Syndrome in Bats - caused by an introduced invasive fungus, not native to North America, Affects only bats, leading cause of death for several species, easily moved around on clothes, boots or equipment surfaces, decontamination (bold) helps reduce human-assisted spread of the disease. Logo WCS Canada Western Bat Program.Large text says DECON. Image of the bat post card from whitenosesyndrome.org that outlines protocols for decontamination. disinfecting wipes and spraying with 70% isopropyl alcohol is suggested for non-washable gear. Washable gear 55C for 5min; or 10% bleach solution soaking for 10min.
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
#BatJobs!🦇🦇🦇🌎 The field season is approaching! #YVR We have a bat project - check out this presentation event to learn more. www.eventbrite.com/e/vancouver-...
eventbrite.com
Vancouver Bat Volunteer Info Session 2026
Join us for the Vancouver Bat Volunteer Info Session online to learn how you can support bat conservation.
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
🦇 #TwoferTuesday Bat biologists love to compare species - especially when they are very similar. Here on the left is Long-eared Myotis (Myotis evotis) and on the right is Fringed Myotis (Myotis thysanodes) from Lillooet, BC. Gotta check a couple of times to confirm species! 📸Ian Routley
Two bats being held gently in white gloved hands. On the left is a blonde bat with very large dark ears and dark face and wings. On the right is a blonde bat with slightly shorter ears and more of a brown face and wings. The bat on the left is the Long-eared Myotis (Myotis evotis) the bat on the right is the Fringed Myotis (Myotis thysanodes). Capture was from Lillooet, BC where both of these bats can be found (although Fringed are quite rare). Photo by Ian Routley.
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
🦇Most bats have just one pup per year, so populations grow slowly. Over half of species worldwide are now at risk (“State of the Bats”). We need bats—and they need our help. 🦇 #SaveTheBats #BatsNeedFriends #HappyBaturday (slightly late!)
Text reads "One pup a year. Fun Fact. Happy Baturday. Logo WCS Canada Alberta Community Bat Program albertabats.ca" Image of a mother little brown myotis and pup who is nursing (pup is quite big and furred) - bats are being held in a blue gloved hand with the handler gently raising the wing to show the pup. Photo by Cory Olson
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Reposted by Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇
Bat Conservation Trust @batconservation.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
🦇 Happy #EarthDay 2026! This year's theme is Our Power, Our Planet and bats are important contributors to our planet's health; from pollinating, through to controlling insect populations and reforestation! Our #BatManifesto highlights our top 5 priorities: www.bats.org.uk/news/2026/04...
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Alberta Community Bat Program/Western Bat Program 🦇 @albertabats.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Happy #EarthDay 2026! Bats occur in every corner of our planet. 1500 different bat species and counting. They support ecosystems, economies and represent an amazing amount of biodiversity. 🦇🌎
Text reads Earth Day 1500 bat species and counting. Appreciate a planet with such amazing biodiversity. Image of the earth from space with the WCS Canada Alberta Community Bat Program logo @albertabats.ca Images of a Little Brown Myotis by Cory Olson, a Northern Myotis by Christina Davy, a Hoary Bat and a Silver-haired Bat by Jason Headley and a Red Bat by Jared Hobbs. All five species are either currently listed as endangered or recommended as such.
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