Information for prospective volunteers
If you are interested in fieldwork and volunteering with the bat lab, check back periodically or keep updated on our Manitoba Bat Blitz Facebook Page for opportunities!
If you are interested in fieldwork and volunteering with the bat lab, check back periodically or keep updated on our Manitoba Bat Blitz Facebook Page for opportunities!
2013 Spring Volunteer Assistants
Julia Lawler
Position: Field Assistant
Location: Lake St. George, Manitoba
Why did you want to volunteer with the bat lab? Did you have previous experience with fieldwork?
I had previous experience doing fieldwork with an environmental consulting company. I was excited to volunteer with the bat lab to handle live bats [as] I had only encountered dead [bats] during wind turbine surveys, and [to] learn more about threats [to bats] and their habitat. I also learned about white-nose syndrome in school and was interested to learn more.
What were the challenges of your volunteer opportunity? How did you work through these?
Money for travel and equipment was a main concern since I had just finished school. This was difficult when it came to small costs such as daily laundry. It was okay and worked out by following a very strict budget and borrowing equipment from friends and family.
What did you eat during fieldwork? How was cooking in the field?
We ate a lot of beans, rice, pasta, fruit, and (peanut butter) sandwiches. Cooking was fine [and] we ate very well. The cabin we stayed in was very well equipped and we had no trouble.
Do you have any tips for future volunteers or students interested in pursuing fieldwork?
Be flexible, prepared, and patient. Expect the unexpected! [You may want to] bring many warm things [to wear] and books.
How many bats were you able to see in a night?
[We] processed 60-80 [per night].
Location: Lake St. George, Manitoba
Why did you want to volunteer with the bat lab? Did you have previous experience with fieldwork?
I had previous experience doing fieldwork with an environmental consulting company. I was excited to volunteer with the bat lab to handle live bats [as] I had only encountered dead [bats] during wind turbine surveys, and [to] learn more about threats [to bats] and their habitat. I also learned about white-nose syndrome in school and was interested to learn more.
What were the challenges of your volunteer opportunity? How did you work through these?
Money for travel and equipment was a main concern since I had just finished school. This was difficult when it came to small costs such as daily laundry. It was okay and worked out by following a very strict budget and borrowing equipment from friends and family.
What did you eat during fieldwork? How was cooking in the field?
We ate a lot of beans, rice, pasta, fruit, and (peanut butter) sandwiches. Cooking was fine [and] we ate very well. The cabin we stayed in was very well equipped and we had no trouble.
Do you have any tips for future volunteers or students interested in pursuing fieldwork?
Be flexible, prepared, and patient. Expect the unexpected! [You may want to] bring many warm things [to wear] and books.
How many bats were you able to see in a night?
[We] processed 60-80 [per night].
Kristina Muise
Position: Field Assistant
Location: Lake St. George, Manitoba
What was it like working with a team catching bats?
Fantastic! I was extremely happy that bats were coming out when we got [to St. George]. It could not have worked out better [and] the team worked together extremely well.
Was this the first time you caught bats or did fieldwork? If you had previous experience, how did this help you? If not, explain what it was like learning new techniques.
[This] was not my first time catching bats. Having experience beforehand did help out greatly, but this field season differed greatly from last year. Many of the techniques were the same, however set up for the harp trap [a type of net used to catch bats] differed.
Describe the location where your fieldwork took place?
Lake St. George has been and still is my favourite place to catch bats. The cabin [where we stayed] was an added bonus as we were able to create our own home there and became a better team. There was an abundance of wildlife to see and fun things to do [during our downtime].
What was it like spending the spring on the prairies?
Not as bad as I expected, however the cold night and snow in the beginning was not the greatest. It was great when the weather warmed up and we no longer had to worry about wearing parkas when processing and pit-tagging the bats.
What type of bat species did you see?
We say little brown bats and northern long-eared bats.
Location: Lake St. George, Manitoba
What was it like working with a team catching bats?
Fantastic! I was extremely happy that bats were coming out when we got [to St. George]. It could not have worked out better [and] the team worked together extremely well.
Was this the first time you caught bats or did fieldwork? If you had previous experience, how did this help you? If not, explain what it was like learning new techniques.
[This] was not my first time catching bats. Having experience beforehand did help out greatly, but this field season differed greatly from last year. Many of the techniques were the same, however set up for the harp trap [a type of net used to catch bats] differed.
Describe the location where your fieldwork took place?
Lake St. George has been and still is my favourite place to catch bats. The cabin [where we stayed] was an added bonus as we were able to create our own home there and became a better team. There was an abundance of wildlife to see and fun things to do [during our downtime].
What was it like spending the spring on the prairies?
Not as bad as I expected, however the cold night and snow in the beginning was not the greatest. It was great when the weather warmed up and we no longer had to worry about wearing parkas when processing and pit-tagging the bats.
What type of bat species did you see?
We say little brown bats and northern long-eared bats.
Ruth Buckley
Position: Field Assistant
Location: Lake St. George, Manitoba
Why did you want to volunteer to catch bats? What were the highlights of your volunteer opportunity?
I had working with larger fruit bats in captivity and I wanted field experience. Having an interest in bat diversity, this experience was perfect. The highlights were the handling and processing [of the bats] because it was very hands-on [particularly] learning how to pit-tag and process efficiently. Also it was hard, but a highlight was having a small team of three – we became a family!
Describe where you were living and catching bats.
[We worked out of] Thunder Bay, Ontario. We stayed on a campsite in a small cabin [that] had a nice wood burner and bunk beds. The campsite had nice nature trails, and shower and washroom facilities. There were lots of ticks. The campsite was 20-30 minutes from the city, so it was easy to get things we needed and to occupy the time that [when] we [weren’t catching bats].
We trapped [bats] are Porcupine. It was a 400 m walk uphill from the car… it was difficult. The site was nice with lots of rabbis. Little pig [another trapping site] was close to the road, which wound up being nice to trap at.
Do you have any tips for future volunteers or students interested in pursuing fieldwork?
It’s okay to say it’s hard. I struggled myself because it was difficult. I couldn’t accept that it [was] normal and I wasn’t the only one with physical boundaries that had to be pushed. It is [also] confined, personal, and intimate in the teams. Volunteers need to be able to sort out their own group issues.
Go for it! Even if [future volunteers] don’t think they could do it, they should just try!
How hard was it to earn how to catch bats? What techniques do you use to catch bats?
Used the harp trap to trap [the bats]. The bag [on the bottom of the harp trap] would not hold the bats [since] they would fly out, so we added an extra bit of plastic over the middle pole so they couldn’t [fly away]. Learning how to pit-tag in leather gloves was [also] difficult.
How many bats did you catch each night? If there was downtown, what did you do during this time?
[We caught] about 100 bats each night. During downtime we played hangman, tried a crossword and made up dances.
Location: Lake St. George, Manitoba
Why did you want to volunteer to catch bats? What were the highlights of your volunteer opportunity?
I had working with larger fruit bats in captivity and I wanted field experience. Having an interest in bat diversity, this experience was perfect. The highlights were the handling and processing [of the bats] because it was very hands-on [particularly] learning how to pit-tag and process efficiently. Also it was hard, but a highlight was having a small team of three – we became a family!
Describe where you were living and catching bats.
[We worked out of] Thunder Bay, Ontario. We stayed on a campsite in a small cabin [that] had a nice wood burner and bunk beds. The campsite had nice nature trails, and shower and washroom facilities. There were lots of ticks. The campsite was 20-30 minutes from the city, so it was easy to get things we needed and to occupy the time that [when] we [weren’t catching bats].
We trapped [bats] are Porcupine. It was a 400 m walk uphill from the car… it was difficult. The site was nice with lots of rabbis. Little pig [another trapping site] was close to the road, which wound up being nice to trap at.
Do you have any tips for future volunteers or students interested in pursuing fieldwork?
It’s okay to say it’s hard. I struggled myself because it was difficult. I couldn’t accept that it [was] normal and I wasn’t the only one with physical boundaries that had to be pushed. It is [also] confined, personal, and intimate in the teams. Volunteers need to be able to sort out their own group issues.
Go for it! Even if [future volunteers] don’t think they could do it, they should just try!
How hard was it to earn how to catch bats? What techniques do you use to catch bats?
Used the harp trap to trap [the bats]. The bag [on the bottom of the harp trap] would not hold the bats [since] they would fly out, so we added an extra bit of plastic over the middle pole so they couldn’t [fly away]. Learning how to pit-tag in leather gloves was [also] difficult.
How many bats did you catch each night? If there was downtown, what did you do during this time?
[We caught] about 100 bats each night. During downtime we played hangman, tried a crossword and made up dances.
Felicity Borrell
Position: Field Assistant
Location: Lake St. George, Manitoba
What did you want to volunteer to catch bats? What were the highlights of your volunteer opportunity?
[I] wanted fieldwork experience and [it] was a good opportunity to come to Canada. [I] really enjoyed the experience. [I] hadn’t done anything with bats before, so just being able handle and do all [the] processing and pit-tagging [was an experience]. [I] liked how hands-on it was… and having to just get on with the job. Also, [the team] went to Lake Superior when we were waiting for [instructions] and saw a river otter! [We also saw] beavers and other Canadian wildlife.
Describe where you were living and catching bats.
[We stayed] in a cabin near Kakabeka Falls, Thunder Bay. [It was a] small cabin with a log burner in a nice campsite with showers and trails [all] around [the] campsite. [Though, the] cabin was cold most nights! It was about a 20 minute drive into Thunder Bay, so [it was] easy to pick up groceries and extra equipment. Porcupine, a main catching site, was 400 m up a steep hill, so [it was] difficult getting equipment there. [There was a] nice, flat area to process bats, but [it was] a little walk from there through trees to the actual cave. Little pig [another catching site] was much easier to get to and closer to the road. [Finally,] Silver Mountain was a very long walk uphill with lots of animal tracks like wolves and moose!
How hard was it to learn how to catch bats? What techniques did you use?
Putting a harp trap up and [taking it] down took a while to get used to. [We] found that bats would escape from the bag [at the bottom of the harp trap], so [we] put a piece of plastic over the pole that reached to the bottom of the bag so that they couldn’t fly away.
How many bats did you catch each night? If there was downtown, what did you do during this time?
[We caught] up to 100 each night, but processed 12-48 per night. While waiting we chatted, danced, sung, and played hangman.
Do you have any tips for future volunteers or students interested in pursing fieldwork?
[You] need lots of patients and perseverance, but [it is] well worth it. [There was] a lot of downtime, but [I] really enjoyed doing [the work] once we started. [You can] get very tired doing it after five or six nights with no breaks, but afterwards feel very good.. So if you can keep going, it is definitely worth it. It is worth making sure you have comfortable equipment [since it] got cold. Also, teams [were] very isolated, so being able to get [along] with other people in your team, and sort out problems [is] important. Don’t take offence when everyone is tired and grumpy.
Location: Lake St. George, Manitoba
What did you want to volunteer to catch bats? What were the highlights of your volunteer opportunity?
[I] wanted fieldwork experience and [it] was a good opportunity to come to Canada. [I] really enjoyed the experience. [I] hadn’t done anything with bats before, so just being able handle and do all [the] processing and pit-tagging [was an experience]. [I] liked how hands-on it was… and having to just get on with the job. Also, [the team] went to Lake Superior when we were waiting for [instructions] and saw a river otter! [We also saw] beavers and other Canadian wildlife.
Describe where you were living and catching bats.
[We stayed] in a cabin near Kakabeka Falls, Thunder Bay. [It was a] small cabin with a log burner in a nice campsite with showers and trails [all] around [the] campsite. [Though, the] cabin was cold most nights! It was about a 20 minute drive into Thunder Bay, so [it was] easy to pick up groceries and extra equipment. Porcupine, a main catching site, was 400 m up a steep hill, so [it was] difficult getting equipment there. [There was a] nice, flat area to process bats, but [it was] a little walk from there through trees to the actual cave. Little pig [another catching site] was much easier to get to and closer to the road. [Finally,] Silver Mountain was a very long walk uphill with lots of animal tracks like wolves and moose!
How hard was it to learn how to catch bats? What techniques did you use?
Putting a harp trap up and [taking it] down took a while to get used to. [We] found that bats would escape from the bag [at the bottom of the harp trap], so [we] put a piece of plastic over the pole that reached to the bottom of the bag so that they couldn’t fly away.
How many bats did you catch each night? If there was downtown, what did you do during this time?
[We caught] up to 100 each night, but processed 12-48 per night. While waiting we chatted, danced, sung, and played hangman.
Do you have any tips for future volunteers or students interested in pursing fieldwork?
[You] need lots of patients and perseverance, but [it is] well worth it. [There was] a lot of downtime, but [I] really enjoyed doing [the work] once we started. [You can] get very tired doing it after five or six nights with no breaks, but afterwards feel very good.. So if you can keep going, it is definitely worth it. It is worth making sure you have comfortable equipment [since it] got cold. Also, teams [were] very isolated, so being able to get [along] with other people in your team, and sort out problems [is] important. Don’t take offence when everyone is tired and grumpy.
Quinn Webber
Position: Team Leader
Location: Lake St. George, Manitoba
What are some of the rewards of managing a fieldwork team?
Having a group of people was enjoyable because it was rewarding to see the growth of experience and knowledge that team members underwent during the field [season].
How did spring catching this year compare to previous field experience?
Spring catching is colder and catching bats out of [spring] emergence [from hibernation] was different than during mating swarms [as there are fewer bats during emergence]. So [it] was a completely different experience. [We also stayed] indoors as opposed to camping, [which] was beneficial when it was cold.
What were some of the highlights from this spring’s field season?
[We were able to enter into] Iguana Cave, [which] was very exciting. Exploring [for new caves] was also very cool because it felt as though we were contributing new knowledge about the area to the lab.
Do you have any tips for future volunteers or students interested in pursuing fieldwork? What do you recommend they bring with them?
Come prepared for all weather – rain, shine, or snow. Come with a good, positive attitude, and expect to meet some very cool and interesting people from around Canada and the world!
Location: Lake St. George, Manitoba
What are some of the rewards of managing a fieldwork team?
Having a group of people was enjoyable because it was rewarding to see the growth of experience and knowledge that team members underwent during the field [season].
How did spring catching this year compare to previous field experience?
Spring catching is colder and catching bats out of [spring] emergence [from hibernation] was different than during mating swarms [as there are fewer bats during emergence]. So [it] was a completely different experience. [We also stayed] indoors as opposed to camping, [which] was beneficial when it was cold.
What were some of the highlights from this spring’s field season?
[We were able to enter into] Iguana Cave, [which] was very exciting. Exploring [for new caves] was also very cool because it felt as though we were contributing new knowledge about the area to the lab.
Do you have any tips for future volunteers or students interested in pursuing fieldwork? What do you recommend they bring with them?
Come prepared for all weather – rain, shine, or snow. Come with a good, positive attitude, and expect to meet some very cool and interesting people from around Canada and the world!
