Panther Island Adventures!

Panther Island is 2,800 acres of restored wetland and upland habitats situated in the northwest corner of Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary's 13,000 acres. It is home to numerous plants and animals including the Florida panther and the iconic wood stork.
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Monday, June 4, 2012

2012 BatBlitz

Rafinesque's big-eared bat (Corynorhinus rafinesquii) When agitated the will curl their inch long ears back! One of the great things about my job is the opportunities to network and work with other organizations. I am a member of the Southeastern Bat Diversity Network (SBDN)as well as the Florida Bat Working Group (FBWG). Recently the FWBG hosted the 2012 BatBlitz in Apalachicola region of the panhandle. What you might ask is a BatBlitz? Basically it is "a coordinated, intensive survey designed to sample the bat community in an extensive area. In just 2-3 days, volunteers at a Bat Blitz can accomplish what a small field crew could do in an entire season. These events generally involve a substantial, voluntary contribution of time and materials from bat experts. Amount of effort exerted and data collected during a Bat Blitz can be greater than what a single biologist could accomplish in an entire season." (taken from the SBDN website). There were 246 bats of 8 different species captured. These wonderful creatures are a passion of mine, and I love that my work as a resource manager affords me the opportunity to work with and learn more about them! Rafinesque's big-eared bat (Corynorhinus rafinesquii) When not agitated their ears really stand out, especially since their ears are about half the length of their body!

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