WCA member Paul Misko recently sent me this message.
"On a walk at the head of the valley I came upon two unusual sights. The first was an early Spring Beauty flower in bloom by the 1st of April. Later I saw a bat flying in small circles overhead, as if lost. He then just crash landed and fluttered around on the ground. For a few years now our brown bats have been suffering from a disease which causes them to leave their roost and fly around at the wrong seasons, and the wrong time of the day. The disease is called "White Nose Syndrome" , due to white smudges found on
the nose and wings. It causes the bats to leave hibernation early and search for non-existant food, thus burning up their stored fat reserve. They often die before finding something to eat. One picture shows the bat which landed on my porch during a snow storm. Many colonies of bats have been affected , and so far it's progress cannot be stopped. Bats may have rabies, so if you see one lying on the ground, don't pick it up."
- Paul Misko
