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| The back of the cabin at Lightfoot Bay |
We have had unexpected houseguests since our arrival at
Lightfoot Bay. Mice have been leaving presents of little brown pellets in the
kitchen. Not that was a big deal for one of the nice things about rustic living
is the simplicity of meals so we don’t use many pots and pans while cooking. I
scrubbed the counters, drawers and reminded Bob to not use kitchen utensils
without washing them first. As for the mice, they obviously benefitted from the
collection of food items left in the cabin and decided to summer over with the
rest of us.
So, hearing scratches outside my bedroom window and in
the ceiling at night was anticipated. There must have been a party Thursday evening
as the scratching and running continued throughout the night and into the early
morning. Friday night was relatively quiet until just before dawn when the
scratching resumed outside my window. Curious to see how many mice were sharing
my room, I put on my glasses and looked outside. I couldn’t see any mice but in
the corner of my eye a dark bird flew out towards the woods behind the house.
Now, my curiosity was piqued and I put on my jacket and went outside.
The sky was still dusky, making it difficult to make out
clearly the peak of the roof where my room was situated. While I was watching a
bat flew out from under the eave, leaving behind a chorus of chattering
relatives behind at the house. It all happened so quickly, that I didn’t have
time to even raise my binoculars to get a better look.
I am fascinated by bats and had always wanted to work
with them while I was a rehabilitator. They are unusual creatures, the only
mammals that technically fly (flying squirrels glide through the air so they
are not officially flyers). Bats hibernate over winter in buildings, caves and
mine shafts and are essential to farmers as bats consume large quantities of
harmful insects.
Unfortunately, bats are often seen in negative light to
the general public. Scared by stories of vampire bats and incidents of bats
tangled in hair, people often will harm these animals needlessly. Added to
their poor but misguided reputation, North American bats have been dying in the
millions from a fungus carried here from Europe, White Nose Syndrome. White
Nose Syndrome describes the physical appearance of the disease, as the fungus
covers the nose and face with a white mask. The disease currently has no known
cure and is spreading westward from its first identification in New York State now
spread into 22 states and five Canadian provinces. (a) The total financial loss to agriculture due
to White Nose Syndrome is estimated at $3.7 billion in 2011 (b). Combined the
bat die off with the on-going bee colony collapses and the agricultural
industry will be forced to utilize more artificial means to maintain crop
levels. Not a good solution for farmers in
terms of additional production costs, families who will be eating more food
grown with chemicals and nature that will lose a key player in the cycle of
life.
(a)
USGS National Wildlife Health Center, White Nose
Syndrome News, Conservation of Pennsylvania’s bats is now ‘survivor management’,
July 9, 2013
http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/disease_information/white-nose_syndrome/index.jsp
April 1, 2011
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