At Midpen, bats aren’t just a hallmark of the fall season; they’re wildlife we’re interested in protecting and supporting all year-round. The iconic red barn in Midpen’s La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve is the only known pallid bat (Antrozous pallidus) maternity roost on the Peninsula, meaning pregnant females gather here to give birth and tend their young from April through August.
Pallid bats are named for their light-colored fur, and as of one year ago, they were recognized as California’s official state bat in part because they provide more than one billion dollars worth of pest control to California agriculture annually. Recently, Midpen biologists ventured out to the red barn at sunset to conduct a bat survey, counting each bat they saw fly out of the building, noting which opening they used and which direction they flew.
“It’s important to record how many pallid bats are accessing and using the red barn so that Midpen can continue protecting it as a roosting and potential hibernation site, especially while conducting barn restoration projects or determining how and when people access the barn,” said Matt Sharp Chaney, the lead Midpen biologist on the survey.
From earlier surveys, Sharp Chaney observed that during the hibernation season, pallid bats do not appear to be in the barn. This means that they could be tucked in and difficult to see or migrate to a different site to hibernate. During the most recent bat survey, Midpen biologists observed 96 pallid bats exiting the red barn.
“It’s very exciting,” Sharp Chaney said.