Bat
My First Rescue
By Gitieby Yvonne Morrin (Bats Qld) read more »
Now I have finished my course of vaccinations, I have finally started rescuing. My first bat was entangled in fishing line with a fishing hook embedded in her side – the constriction injury was severe, and she was euthanized. Microbats At Long Grass
By GitieBy Peter Richards from Long Grass Wiildlife Refuge and Bats Qld
In previous years Gabi and I have had microbats come in to care and those that did we had little success with. We became quite somewhat despondent about the prospect of rearing more microbats only for them to die after a couple of weeks. This year however has been different. Since the beginning of December 2011 we took 9 microbats into care and lost two of them. One of the deaths was pretty well unavoidable. A bat that was passed on to us from Australia Zoo as simply requiring a rest before being released turned out to be paralysed and had multiple injuries. The second death was a 3g furless baby that survived for 27 days and then succumbed to what I think was inhalation pneumonia after she was switched from syringe feeding to lapping as she had a habit of putting her whole nose in the milk. I will stick with syringe feeding these young ones from now on. read more »
Don't Shoot Bats - Please tell your state & local leaders
By Gitie
It's not too late to help - visit - dontshootbats.com to find out how you can help and for more information on bats.
"Full exclusion netting is the only reliable method" - NSW Govt (Dept of Environment & Climate Change)
Unfortunately LNP has announced plans to shoot bats instead of following progressive ways that actually work. Let your pollies know that these bad old ways are no longer acceptable.
Sign the petition at: http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/don-t-shoot-bats.html read more »
Repurposing Abandoned Mines For Bats & Wildlife
By Gitie2012 sees the continuation of the Year of the Bat.
Abandoned mines although unsuitable for human use can provide much needed habitat for bats and wildlife. In the United States alone there are over 48,000 abandoned mines. Abandoned mines are like caves and non-destructive mine closures are those where features such as bat gates, cupolas and other preservation tools have been installed to help bats (or other wildlife depending on the location) use the mines for refuge.
Bat Conservation International and the US Bureau of Land Management have combined their efforts to create a guide that helps determine the best closure type for mine openings. On their dedicated site http://www.batgating.com they provide a wealth of information as well a decision matrix tool to help land managers and conservation groups evaluate a closed land mine, or a mine targeted for closure and determine the most suitable mine opening. There is also a wealth of information on closure types, materials, considerations, and other expert material.
Such re-purposing is great news for bats and other wildlife and hopefully a turning point as more unusable mines are converted to help conservation efforts across the globe. read more »
Cloudy Skies Make Greener Grass
By GitieThe birds and wildlife have had a wonderful summer this year, inf act the best in over a decade. New wildgrasses have sprung up covering the hillsides due to the extended rains and are providing plenty of food and shelter this season in contrast to years of dry, burnt summers. Check out the pics below to see what they have been doing.
(click on the 'next' button to forward through the slides).
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Willie and Nellie learning to sing against the cloudy skies
Lush green grasses fill the paddocks
The eagles are a hunting up above
while Rainbow lorikeets are sorting
out territorial boundaries below
The babblers have moved in
having negotiated their rights
The wallabies are enjoying the rich pickings
along with Bertie Vicky Mindy and Kenny
Billy's family is happy too
Larry and Harrie are singing to glory
The Crested pigeons are thrilled to boots
Maggie's son Monty has found new friends
Kenny wants to get up close and personal
Gabriel Tuks joined the bat creche and returned to the colony
Charlie Girl is fully recovered and adores Pete
Jack is much happier now he can fly further
Wallabies relax in the shade at the Long Grass Wildlife Refuge
Jack adores Gabi
Wild grasses spring up along the roadside
the whole valley is green - for a few weeks at least
One eyed Curly the currawong
is looking healthy and well
Gumnuts are a plentiful
Butterflies delight
Billy's brood is growing up
Frieda is all black and white but still as friendly as ever
Noisy miner is planning another clutch
2 eggs in here
while the nest is being fortified
wild grasses abound
filling the bushy landscape
to the joy of the birds and animals
The galahs are keen to show their nest
and pose for the camera
The peewee too wants to be seen
read more »
Wind turbines make bat lungs explode
By RonSorry to be posting a 'downer', but I think everyone needs to be aware of the horrible consequences of installing wind turbines. These machines look peaceful, but they are terrible killers.
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