Habitat Use by Bats in Eastern Maine

Abstract

We described habitat use by bats in Acadia National Park and adjacent sites in eastern Maine. We analyzed frequency of bat passes with Anabat bat detectors to evaluate habitat use at microsite, single patch, and multipatch spatial scales, Most bat captures (91%) were of the genus Myotis, and most of those (74%) were males. Bat activity was concentrated over ponds and along gravel roads at the single-patch scale, and near lakes at the multipatch scale from late spring to late summer, During the early autumn, bat activity decreased overall and was distributed more evenly among patch types. Although our ability to predict areas of high bat activity declined during early autumn, our data indicated that bats appeared to avoid wetlands and sites with dense trees. Management of bat habitat should be considered at multiple spatial and temporal scales. We also recommend that resource managers consider bats when making management decisions concerning lakes, ponds, and gravel roads because bat activity was high at these sites throughout the late spring and summer.