Blowing Springs Bat Survey

On Thursday Feb. 10, 2010, Scott McCrea and I assisted NC Fish and Wildlife with bat counts at Blowing Spring Cave.  Having never been to the cave before, it was a rare treat to go.  Also it was nice to cave in one of North Carolinas few solutional caves.   We met up with Gaberiel Grater, Chris Mcgrath, another NC Fish and Wildlife person that morning to travel to the cave to begin work.  Blowing Springs Cave has a nice little entrance up a large hill from the road.  It is well gated, and provides nice habitat for the bats hibernating there.   We entered the cave and begun work.    Scott and i assisted them in traversing throught the cave and with the vertical work ahead.  Many bats were counted that day.  There totals were over 1500, but i believe it is well over 2000 bats in that cave due to places that are not easily accessable to count.  The large room at the back hosted the most bats, well over 1000.  I learned to correctly iedntify bats that i had been miss identifying for quite some time.  I learned that bats like cooler caves for hivernation.  Around 45 to 50 deg.  Blowing Springs is definitely cooler, one of the coldest i have been in.  Got to see a pair of bats mate as well.  Now that is something you dont see every day!  All and all, it was a good day, New friends made with the guys and Gal's from Fish and Wildlife.  One safe caving trip completed and an awsome cave filled with WNS FREE! bats. 

John Christie