SueO
Well-known member
My granddaughter and I found this little bat on Oct. 6th (about noon) in the swimming pool. We had had fierce Santa Ana winds the night before (40 to 70 mph in various areas--don't know what the velocity was in our canyon) and I think he was blown into the water. I can't guess how long the poor thing was in there, but it is amazing it was still alive and swimming/staying afloat; it must have an incredible constitution. It hardly seems possible that something so tiny could have survived this ordeal. We got it out with a stick and let it dry in the warm air. There were still mild Santa Ana conditions which helped it dry. We put it in a towel and left it in an outdoor aviary to protect it while it dried. We checked on it a few times during the day and were relieved to find it still alive. It even moved to the top of the towel and later retreated into the folds. In the early evening, I went to check again and found it was gone. There were several spots in the enclosure where the wiring had pulled away from the frame and we guessed he got out on his own and flew off. Very impressive sonar.
The location was in southeast San Diego County about 25 miles inland of the coast in the Peninsular Mountains. The bat was very small--about 2 1/2 inches. We have come to the conclusion that it is a Western Small-footed Bat, Myotis ciliolabrum . I just bought a 'beginners' bat book and at first we thought it was a California Bat, Myotis californicus, but when we went online to see photos and get more information we ran across the Small-footed and decided it looked more like our bat. The book did say that the California Bat didn't fly well in winds which is why I figured it was blown into the water. I guess the very similar Small-footed would also have a hard time in the wind, especially Santa Anas(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Ana_winds)
Is it possible to ID by these photos? The fur is wet which makes things harder--he flew off before I had a chance to photograph him dry! So glad he did-I'm amazed he made it--we really thought he was a goner. I'm trying to chronicle the flora and fauna of my area and would like to have a positive ID.
Thanks, Sue
The location was in southeast San Diego County about 25 miles inland of the coast in the Peninsular Mountains. The bat was very small--about 2 1/2 inches. We have come to the conclusion that it is a Western Small-footed Bat, Myotis ciliolabrum . I just bought a 'beginners' bat book and at first we thought it was a California Bat, Myotis californicus, but when we went online to see photos and get more information we ran across the Small-footed and decided it looked more like our bat. The book did say that the California Bat didn't fly well in winds which is why I figured it was blown into the water. I guess the very similar Small-footed would also have a hard time in the wind, especially Santa Anas(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Ana_winds)
Is it possible to ID by these photos? The fur is wet which makes things harder--he flew off before I had a chance to photograph him dry! So glad he did-I'm amazed he made it--we really thought he was a goner. I'm trying to chronicle the flora and fauna of my area and would like to have a positive ID.
Thanks, Sue