Yearly Activity Patterns of Bats at Belair National Park, In Adelaide, South Australia.

Abstract

Bat activity was surveyed at Belair National Park, Adelaide and an adjacent house in Glenalta, March 1996 to March 1997, using the Anabat system. 44 bats of 6 species (Chalinolobus gouldii, C. morio, Vespadelus darlingtoni, V. regulus, V. vulturnus, and Nyctophilus geoffroyi) were captured, providing positive identification of calls. Three additional species were recorded (Tadarida australis, Mormopterus planiceps and an unidentified species). At Playford Lake, Belair, 2522 bat calls were recorded in 35 h, with most calls from V. darlingtoni (76.3% of total). At Glenalta, 1521 calls were recorded in 238 h, with most calls from C. gouldii (69.2% of total). V. darlingtoni, V. regulus and M. planiceps showed significantly more activity at Playford Lake, Belair, a wooded site beside a lake, than at Glenalta, a suburban site with artificial lighting, while activity of C. gouldii and T. australis was similar at the two sites. Most bats showed significant lower activity in winter, apart from V darlingtoni, which was active all year round at Belair. Nocturnal temperatures during the study varied from 6-31°C. The activity of most bat species showed no significant correlation with temperature, apart from C. gouldii at Belair, which averaged 1.2 passes per hour below 13°C and 9.3 passes per hour above l3°C.