Bats on the Move: A Novel Approach To Tracking Migratory Bats With Radar

Bats are fascinating creatures that play an important role in many ecosystems. They pollinate flowers, disperse seeds, control pests and provide food for other animals.

However, bats are also threatened by habitat loss, diseases, climate change, and collisions with wind turbines.

To protect bats and understand their behavior, researchers need to monitor their movements across large distances and altitudes.

Nevertheless, this has been a challenge until now, as bats are mostly nocturnal and fly high in the sky.

Fortunately, a new study published in Methods in Ecology and Evolution has developed a novel algorithm that can track the movements of bats using radar technology.

The algorithm was created by researchers from the University of Haifa and Tel Aviv University in Israel, who used a network of bird radars across the country to collect data on bat activity.

The algorithm can distinguish bats from birds and insects based on their size, flight speed, wing flapping pattern, and activity times.

The algorithm is now available to researchers worldwide, who can use it to monitor bat movements near wind turbines and other structures that may affect them.

How bats migrate across the Globe

(Photo : ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

The study also revealed some interesting findings about how bats migrate across the globe.

The researchers found that bats migrate just like birds, but their migration patterns are vastly different.

For example, bats tend to fly at higher altitudes than birds, up to three kilometers above the ground, as per Phys.org.

They also fly faster than birds, reaching speeds of up to 140 km/h.

Moreover, bats migrate in smaller groups than birds, and they do not follow fixed routes or landmarks. Instead, they seem to rely on their echolocation and magnetic sense to navigate.

The researchers also discovered that different bat species have different migration strategies.

Some species are resident and stay in the same area throughout the year. Some are partial migrants and only some individuals migrate while others remain.

There are also nomadic ones that move unpredictably in response to environmental conditions. And some are long-distance migrants and travel thousands of kilometers between their summer and winter habitats.

The study focused on two long-distance migrant bat species: the greater mouse-tailed bat (Rhinopoma microphyllum) and the Egyptian fruit bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus).

These species are among the largest bats in the world, with wingspans of up to 60 cm. They are also among the most common bats in Israel, where they form large colonies in caves and buildings.

The researchers found that these bats migrate twice a year: once in spring from Africa to Asia, and once in autumn from Asia to Africa.

They also found that these bats have different preferences for their migration routes: the greater mouse-tailed bat prefers to fly over land, while the Egyptian fruit bat prefers to fly over water.

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How radar technology can help protect bats

The new algorithm developed by the researchers can help protect bats from various threats, especially wind turbines, as per British Ecological Society.

Wind turbines are a renewable source of energy that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel dependence.

However, wind turbines also pose a risk to flying animals, especially bats.

Bats are attracted to wind turbines for unknown reasons, and they often collide with the blades or suffer from barotrauma, which is condition caused by sudden changes in air pressure.

According to some estimates, hundreds of thousands of bats die every year due to wind turbines worldwide.

To prevent these deaths, researchers need to understand how bats behave near wind turbines and how they can be deterred or diverted from them.

However, until now, there was no reliable method to track bat movements near wind turbines at night and at high altitudes.

The new algorithm can fill this gap by providing data on bat activity, density, direction and altitude near wind turbines.

This data can help researchers develop new methods for protecting bats, such as adjusting the operation of wind turbines according to bat activity levels or installing devices that emit sounds or lights that repel bats.

The lead author of the study, Yuval Werber, a PhD student at the University of Haifa, said: "The use of wind turbines is increasing worldwide .Their ability to operate in an environmentally friendly way depends on their impact on winged creatures."

He added: "People around the world can now track and monitor bat movements, thus saving many of them."

The new algorithm is not only useful for studying bats near wind turbines but also for other purposes.

For example, it can help researchers understand how bats respond to climate change, habitat loss or diseases such as white-nose syndrome (a fungal infection that has killed millions of bats in North America).

It can also help researchers explore basic ecological questions about bat behavior, such as how they communicate, cooperate or compete with each other.

Bats are amazing animals that deserve our attention and respect.

By using radar technology and the new algorithm developed by Israeli researchers, we can learn more about them and protect them from harm.

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