Updates From The Field

In 2017, biologists at Pinnacles National Park began to systematically track resident bats via mist netting and acoustic monitoring. Mist netting was a no-go this year due to the coronavirus. However from July 13-17, biologists did deploy acoustic bat detectors at four sites throughout the park for a fourth year in a row.

Coronaviruses exist in many mammals and birds all across the globe. At the USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC), wildlife scientists are doing their part to tackle questions about COVID-19 and wildlife. For example, could North American wildlife become reservoirs of SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind COVID-19? What species are most susceptible? What can we do to reduce the risk of spreading the virus to wildlife?

Few individuals have shaped our understanding of terrestrial species in the San Francisco Bay Area and California national parks like Dr. Gary Fellers, who passed away in November. Gary worked at Point Reyes National Seashore from 1983 until his retirement in 2013, first as a National Park Service scientist, and later as a researcher for the USGS Western Ecological Research Center.

As part of a nationwide effort to monitor white nose syndrome in bats, Pinnacles National Park and the U.S. Geological Survey have continued bat monitoring in the park this spring. Last year’s sampling included 13 bats from seven different species, all of which tested negative for the disease.

This year, Pinnacles biologists began a program to track bat presence, species diversity, and white nose syndrome at the park. In coordination with USGS researcher Gabe Reyes, park staff mist-netted for bats over four nights in early spring, again in August, and yet again in September. They also conducted acoustic surveys in late July.