Day 4 Wed 7th
Are you feeling "Batty"?
The Bat Colony - Thea, Marion, Tamara (Ecologist) (missing Alex!!!)
What we did? The Bat Colony assembles the "bat nets" in the afternoon. One large double net about 3 metres high, which looks like a harp is placed across the road and a long side net about 10 metres long is placed perpendicular to it.
Then from dusk - till late - we wait for an unsuspecting microbat to swoop into the trap!!! Much patience is required, as it is quite difficult to trap bats!!! Tamara uses sonar equipment to record the bats which pass by.
You definitely need to be an owl for this job!!!
Meet the scientist
Scientist: Tamara Inkster
Country of Birth: Australia
Degree: Biology at James Cook University – majored in Zoology & Botany (4 years)
Honours (1 year) : - Looked at microbat communities – compared their distribution and abundance before and after fire. Interestingly the dominant species was reversed after fire because different species of bats can fly better through rainforest canopy and after fire – the open space favoured a different species.
Doctorate: Looking at microbat community assemblage – how does this relate to climate change?
Tamara is using sonar techniques to see where horseshoe bats “hang out” at different gradients in the rainforest. Interestingly all bats a different sonar – so Tamara can detect the different bats species.
What does Tamara study bats?
Tamara has always loved animals – she is a wildlife refuge volunteer. From a young age, she has had a desire to be a scientific researcher. She had a passion for Biology at school as it is was the science that “made sense”. Tamara feels a “real” connection with the rainforest.
The Horseshoe Bat
This cute little bat or microbat - is commonly known as a Horseshoe bat.It navigates through the forest canopy - but particularly loves to fly down the bat superhighways i.e. the road through the rainforest, hunting for its favourite meal - the rainforest moth!!!