Here’s the role bats play in the NorCal ecosystem

ENGLISH AND SPANISH AND JUST IN FOR HALLOWEEN, IT’S ABOUT A WEEK. THERE ARE MORE THAN 1400 TYPES OF BATS IN THE WORLD. DID YOU KNOW THE US AND CANADA ARE HOME TO 45 SPECIES OF BAT, AS WE KNOW THEY PLAY A HUGE ROLE IN OUR ECOSYSTEM. AND NOW JOINING US IS QUIRKY QUIRK FROM YELLOW AND THE FOUNDATION, QUIRKY. THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US. TELL US ABOUT THE BATS THAT LIVE IN THE SACRAMENTO AREA. WE HAVE MANY DIFFERENT SPECIES LIVING HERE. THE GOOD TEN THAT ARE SOMETIMES HERE ALL YEAR ROUND. SOMETIMES THEY MIGRATE THROUGH ALL OF THEM EATING INSECTS. And THIS. THEREFORE THEY ARE REALLY IMPORTANT FOR AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL PEST CONTROL. AND OF COURSE, ANYONE CAN GET A BAD RAP. THEY CAN SEE THE HORROR. AND IF THEY GET INTO THE WRONG PLACE, THEY MAY BE CONSIDERED A PEST. BUT THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT. THEY ARE REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT TO OUR ECOSYSTEM. YOU KNOW THERE ARE TOGS – THAT’S ONE, BUT WHAT ARE THEY DOING FOR OUR ECOSYSTEM? WELL, HERE, WHERE WE LIVE, THERE ARE ONLY INSECTS, SO THAT WE DON’T HAVE POLITE BATS, LIKE IN THE DESERT, IN THE TROPICS. THERE ARE ALSO IN TROPICAL REGIONS. IT IS A SCATTERED SEED. AND HERE THEY EAT MOTH, BEETLE, MOSQUITO. AND I BROUGHT IT, SO I HAVE SOME IN MY HAND. HEY THIS IS ONE OF OUR LOCALS. DOES THIS BAT HAVE A NAME? THIS IS A PALE CAT. THIS IS A PALE CAT. PALE BAT. GOOD. YES. AND HE HAS SUCH THINGS AS SCORPIO WHICH IS WONDERFUL. YES. grasshoppers, crickets. AND SO HE WAS ACTUALLY HUNTING ON EARTH, WHICH WE DON’T THINK OF WHEN WE THINK. IS THIS PALE TALKING GOOD? IS THIS PALE CAJUNA HOMETOWN IN SACRAMENTO? HAVE YOU MENTIONED THIS ALREADY? ABSOLUTELY. YES. THAT TIME, THROUGH THE NORCAL BATS, I RESCUED A WILD DRIVER AND HE WAS FOUND INJURED, SO HE’S WITH ME. YOU ANSWERED MY FOLLOWING QUESTION. AT THAT TIME, HE RECOVERS AND THEN HE WILL BE RELEASED INTO THE REGULAR BAT POPULATION, IF HE IS. IT’S GOAL WITH WILDLIFE. UNFORTUNATELY FOR HIM, HE IS AS HEALED AS IT’S GOING TO BE. SO HE STAYS WITH ME AND WE TRAVEL TO LIBRARIES, SCHOOLS AND DIFFERENT PLACES. WHEN WE DO TOURS FROM YOLA WITH A SQUARE AND A FOUNDATION ON THE ROUND SO PEOPLE CAN MEET THEM, YOU KNOW SO THAT PEOPLE CAN GET MORE FAMILIAR WITH THESE ANIMALS AND NOT BE AFRAID OF THEM. THEY GET A BAD RAP. AS YOU SAID, YOU KNOW THERE IS REALLY NO REASON TO BE AFRAID OF THEM. THEY DON’T EAT US. THEY eat insects. EVEN IF THE INDIVIDUAL BAT APPEARED TO BE SICK. UNTIL YOU GET THEM TREATED, YOU ARE NOT GETTING DISEASE. THEIR DUMP IS A WONDERFUL FERTILIZER. THAT’S WHEN YOU KNOW THE TALKING WHALE IS COMING AT YOUR DOOR. YOU JUST BREAK UP THE POOP AND THROW IT OUTSIDE. GOOD NITROGEN. WELL, EXCELLENT PICTURE WITH A YELLOW BASE. AND THANK YOU FOR REMOVING SOME OF THE STIGMA ON THE BAD NAME THAT BATS GET, WE KNOW THEY ARE GREAT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT THEY ARE GREAT FOR US HERE ON EARTH. SO THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO RAISE YOUR KNOWLEDGE.

Celebrating Bat Week: Here’s what role bats play in NorCal’s ecosystem

Updated: October 25, 2022 at 8:52 am PDT

Monday marked the first day of Bat Week — just before Halloween! There are more than 1,400 species of bats worldwide, and the United States and Canada are home to about 45 bat species that play a large role in our ecosystem. Corky Quirk of the Yolo Basin Foundation sat down with KCRA 3 on Monday to talk more about bats in the Sacramento region. Watch the video above to learn more about the role bats play in the ecosystem and how humans can help prevent bat populations from declining.

Monday marked the first day of Bat Week — just before Halloween!

There are more than 1,400 species of bats worldwide, and the United States and Canada are home to about 45 bat species that play an important role in our ecosystem.

Corky Quirk of the Yolo Basin Foundation sat down with KCRA 3 on Monday to talk more about bats in the Sacramento region.

Watch the video above to learn more about the role bats play in the ecosystem and how humans can help prevent bat populations from declining.