A bat detector is available for check-out at the San Juan Island library.

Bat detectors convert ultrasonic bat calls into audio which humans can hear, enabling us to identify species and to note behavioral patterns. Much of this can be done without ever seeing the bats.

The detector is a donation of the local non-profit organization, Kwiaht, and was made available by individual donors on Lopez Island and a deep discount by the British distributor, BatBox, Ltd.

The Baton bat detector is available for home or field use to those with library accounts in good standing, so that you may listen to, learn about, value, and protect local bats.

According to Kwiaht’s web site, nine species of bats have been documented in the San Juan Islands, although little is known about their distribution or the health of the populations.

For more information about local bats, contact Russel Barsh, Kwiaht director; the web site is www.kwiaht.org.

To learn about bats, check out America’s Neighborhood Bats by Merlin D. Tuttle or Bats of British Columbia by David W. Nagorsen and R. Mark Brigham.