Warming summer evenings mean bat counting season is here! The Sunshine Coast Wildlife Project is inviting community members to take part in the Annual BC Bat Count. The bat count offers a chance to get outside, learn about local wildlife, and contribute meaningful data to bat conservation efforts.
Organized by the BC Community Bat Program, the bat count is an important community science initiative that gathers long-term monitoring data from bat roost sites across B.C. Volunteers simply sit outside known bat roosts, counting bats as they emerge at dusk to forage for insects. Last summer, volunteers completed more than 1,000 counts at nearly 270 locations. These observations help biologists track the health of local bat populations and detect early warning signs of white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that has devastated bat species elsewhere in North America.
Community members interested in participating, or anyone aware of bats roosting in places like attics, roofs, siding, barns, or bat boxes, are asked to please contact [email protected] or 604-989-1007. The bat count includes two key periods: June 1 to 21, before bat pups are flying, and July 11 to Aug. 5, once pups have joined their mothers in flight. All volunteers receive a short orientation and are paired with an experienced counter for their first visit. Landowners with roosts can receive guidance to count bats themselves or request volunteers to assist. A special call is being made for new volunteers in Roberts Creek, Sechelt, and particularly in Pender Harbour and Halfmoon Bay, where additional counters are needed.
The Wildlife Project thanks all partners and funders who make this work possible, including the BC Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, BC Conservation Foundation, Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program, and Gencon Foundation. To learn more about the Annual Bat Count and how to help bats, please visit www.bcbats.ca.
