Chapter 2: The Rescue!

The San Diego Humane Society dispatcher advised Sarah not to touch or pick up the bat with bare hands, but to place a box and a towel over the bat to protect it from the rain until the San Diego Humane Officer arrived to collect it safely using leather gloves.

Bats cannot fly when their muscles are cold, so it would have been very difficult for the bat to take off from the ground in those worsening weather conditions, and he would have been vulnerable to any predator who spotted him.

After securing the bat, he was transported down to the San Diego Humane Society/Project Wildlife’s wildlife center on Gaines Street in San Diego.

The hoary bat remained in care during the weather delay and got to add a few more grams of winter weight, although he mostly wanted to just stay in torpor (short-term hibernation). Bats may enter torpor for just a few hours to save energy during a cold day, or they can remain in torpor for up to a month while hibernating over winter. 

Recent research shows that hoary bats will both migrate and hibernate. They will often travel from colder northern regions into Southern California’s milder climates in winter. Since they are solitary and sleep out among tree foliage in a more exposed environment, they typically only come into rescue care during fall and winter.

Chapter 4: A Fashion Statement

The rescued hoary bat's golden undercoat is on display in the photo at right (photo by J. Cannon), as well as his thick, silvery overcoat which keeps him warm.

And to quote from Bat Conservation International:

With its distinct salt-and-pepper coloration and luscious glossy fur, the hoary bat may just be the George Clooney of the bat world.

Wildlife biologists with state and federal agencies have been attaching tiny Motus tracking transmitters to hoary bats to gather data on their seasonal movements but had not yet attached transmitters to any hoaries in southern California since they’re not found here that often. The information is needed to support conservation actions for this species because approximately 40% of all the bats killed by wind turbines are hoaries, and scientists are concerned they could be completely wiped out by wind turbine fatalities within the next 50 years if no protective measures are taken.

Due to the urgent conservation needs of this species, the wildlife veterinarians attached a temporary transmitter to the bat and gave him a few more days in care to ensure he was still in great condition and flew well.

Chapter 7: Epilogue

We don't know the ending for Emery's story yet but we hope to be able to tell you more in the not too distant future. The Motus trackers have a 12-mile range, with some variability due to topographical barriers. If Emery flies within range of a Motus station, we should get a registered ping. The nearest is at Agua Hedionda Lagoon to the south, and to the north coastal area, there are three along the shores of Camp Pendleton.

We are all very excited about this opportunity to share Emery's travels and hopefully gain some important insight into the movement and behavior of the species. Like all bat species, hoaries reproduce slowly, with the moms giving birth to a single set of twins each summer, so every bat is important given the current rate of decline.

And we hope this new tracking data can help protect not just bats, but other migratory wildlife as well.

We would like to thank the San Diego Humane Society/Project Wildlife for all they do. Please check out their website. Also, a special thanks to Cindy Meyers and Chris Fenner for their dedication, and hard work to protect and rehabilitate our local bat populations, and for educating humans. Cindy also contributed a great deal of information so we could share this story with you.

The incredible biodiversity on Planet Earth sustains all life and maintains healthy ecosystems. All species matter and have a role to play. We are all connected and interdependent in the web of life on this magnificent planet.

1- If you come across a bat that appears injured or is on the ground like Sarah found, please do not attempt to care for it yourself. Follow the directions above and contact Project Wildlife.  You should NEVER attempt bare-handed contact, at all, even when trying to rescue/collect the bat. A small percentage of bats do carry rabies.

• Wildlife Help Hub
• For emergency assistance, call San Diego Humane Society at 619-299-7012 (press 1)

2- Share this information with others. And please read and share our previous article on Bats of San Diego County from August 2024. You can find out why bats are the Superheroes of the Animal World.

3- Take care when trimming/cutting down trees. You shouldn't be trimming trees in spring or summer due to bird chicks and bat pups. But also check your trees in late fall and winter before trimming as there could be sleepy bats hibernating beneath the palm fronds or leaves.

4- Request SDHS/Project Wildlife at Your School or Event.

They offer informational booths, animal visits, speaking engagements, and more to help educate and engage with our community. At right, Cindy at an educational event in Oceanside with Patty the Canyon Bat. (photo by E. Bartlett)

5- Contact your state assembly members and tell them that you would like protective measures placed on wind turbines to protect migratory bats and birds.

In 2007, the California Energy Commission and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) developed voluntary guidelines to reduce impacts to birds and bats from the development or repowering of wind energy projects: Link to Guidelines. Tell your elected officials in the state legislator that the 2007 guidelines must be updated using the most current research data.

We do recognize the environmental benefits of wind turbines as a clean and sustainable energy resource but also recognize there are protective measures that can be taken to make it safer for wildlife.

Make sure your representatives are aware of the problem and that there are viable solutions. This should be a win-win situation, not an either or situation. The video in Chapter 5 above explains that there are ways to fix the problem.

• Find your CA Representatives: LINK to Website
• For info and contacting CA Energy Commission on Reducing Impacts to Birds, Bats from Wind Energy: LINK to Website

• Smithsonian Magazine article on Motus Trackers: Tiny Trackers Are Revealing the Secret Lives of Tens of Thousands of Birds

• USGS wildlife biologist Gabe Reyes’ zoom presentation (August 2025) on their hoary bat migration studies:Hoary Bat Motus Tracking Project - Renewable Energy Wildlife Institute

• Merlin Tuttle's Bat Conservation:Merlin Tuttle Institute. This site contains extensive resources and photos as well as resources on a wide range of conservation issues.
• And here are some of the books that Tuttle has authored: Merlin in Print



• Bat Conservation International- Species Spotlight: Hoary Bat

Check out the new syllabus for 2026 Cal Nat Class: LINK

Our California Naturalist certification training in 2026 will be lead by two alumni, Jimmy Kidd and Lisa Kuleto. The class is scheduled for Tuesday evenings, 5:30-8:30 pm from March 3 through May 5, to be held at the Buena Vista Nature Center.

This 10-week course will introduce you to the wonders of California’s ecology and engage you in the stewardship of our natural environment. This science-based class includes guest speakers, discussions, hands-on activities, field trips and project-based learning to immerse you into the world of coastal sage scrub and chaparral. 

Northern Shovelers are fairly common winter visitors in our area; migrating down the Pacific Flyway from Alaska, Canada and northern US after the summer breeding season. They are a common wide-spread duck; found in many other areas of the world including Europe, Southeast Asia, Africa and South America.

The shoveler is a medium sized duck which is distinguish by its unusual beak. Shovel-like or as it's given scientific name Spatula clypeata, like a spatula.

Shovelers are classified as dabbling ducks; they feed predominantly at the water’s surface. (Versus diving ducks feed mainly by diving underwater.)

Shovelers have several different feeding methods and eat a varied diet. One unusual feeding behavior they exhibit is when they swim in circles to stir up the water to bring food to the surface. Those ducks are pretty clever! They also swim along the water and use their specialized beaks to filter out food. Their bill has about 110 fine projections (called lamellae) along the edges that act like a colander; catching tiny crustaceans, seeds, plants material and aquatic invertebrates from the water. You will also see them upended, head in the water and tail stuck up in air in order to reach food at the bottom of shallow water.

The short video clip at right shows off the shoveler's feeding behaviors.

Shovelers, like many birds, show a noticeable difference in appearance between the males and females. This is known as sexual dimorphism. The male and female shovelers below have very different plumage. Good thing they both have that unique bill that is so helpful in identification.

Northern Shovelers are monogamous and remain together longer than pairs of most other dabbling ducks. They form bonds on the wintering grounds and stay together until just before fall migration. When flushed off the nest, a female Northern Shoveler often defecates on its eggs, apparently to deter predators.