Using a high-tech bat detector, District ecologist Brian Kraskiewicz helped participants hear five different calls from the hoary bat at a recent Shedd Aquarium Spring Volunteer Leadership Conference at Fullersburg Woods Forest Preserve in Oak Brook. Kraskiewicz explained how and why the District monitors bats in DuPage County.
District ecologist Brian Kraskiewicz shows participants how the Echo Meter Touch 2 and Anabat are used to identify bat calls. (Photo courtesy of Shedd Aquarium)
The District hosted the June 2 conference, whose theme was night wildlife, as part of the Shedd learning program for its guest engagement volunteers. Fullersburg Woods naturalist Dave Andrusyk also shared the history of Fullersburg Woods with participants, and Shedd conservation stewardship facilitator Edward Warden discussed the kinds of owls that can be found in Illinois.
Participants closed out the night by visiting the Fullersburg Woods Nature Education Center and hiking the trails for signs of nocturnal wildlife. They weren’t disappointed, as the preserve was alive with toads calling and bats flying.
A graph shows the difference frequencies of various bat calls. (Photo courtesy of Shedd Aquarium)
Participants at the Shedd Aquarium's Spring Volunteer Leadership Conference at Fullersburg Woods. (Photo courtesy of Shedd Aquarium)