Today we had another of our “brown paper bag” sessions, and today we were treated to some time with Batman.  Well, a man who likes bats, anyway.

Kyle Armstrong from Specialised Zoological is one of our partners in providing services in field data collection. As can be found on our web site, we help Kyle manage his Anabat detectors and other equipment (see here or on Kyle’s logo below for details).

Kyle gave us an overview of the science behind the Anabat detectors, ranging from what some of the bats are that he has been detecting, through to the science of sound, and right though to genetic research that he has been working on. There were some really cool things in the presentation – including some great photos of some very funky looking bats (ever seen the nose leaf on a Rhinonicteris aurantia?).

The presentation really gave our gang a bunch of ideas, from taking the detectors home to see what’s in our backyards through to hooking solar panels up to the batteries that power the devices to prolong the field time.  These are all great ideas, and we’re going to be working on them in the coming months.

These “brown paper bag” sessions are fast becoming a highlight – we get to learn a lot from these. I’m looking forward to continuing these over the coming months.

If you have any queries about Anabat detectors, check out our web site, or contact either Kyle or myself via email.