WHAT: 
Join Woodland Park Zoo’s Bat Activity Trends (BAT) program to see bats all around the Seattle area. Bats are nocturnal, flying mammals who are most active during the summer, with peak activity from June to August!

Bat Activity Trends is here to share information about our nighttime neighbors, as well as monitor bat activity in the area and empower you to be a community scientist.

For July, August and September, come participate in these events all around Seattle! All programs are free unless otherwise indicated. Registration is encouraged for some events; links to register can be found on Woodland Park Zoo’s Bat Activity Trends events page here. More events will be added as bat season continues, so check back often. Here are several events to highlight:

Seward Park Audubon Center Bat Activity Trends Volunteer Events

• Tuesday and Wednesday evenings from July 14 – September 23
• Location: Seward Park Audubon Center
• Program timing varies over the summer as the official sunset time changes. The program lasts for about 1 hour depending on weather and bat activity.

Green Lake Bat Talk with Bats Northwest

• Dates:
  • July 24, 8:15 p.m.
  • August 6, 8:00 p.m.
  • August 21, 7:30 p.m.
  • September 4, 7:15 p.m.
• Location: Green Lake near the Seattle Public Theater (7312 West Green Lake Drive North)
• Registration is not required.
• Program lasts 1.5 to 2 hours depending on weather and bat activity.

BAT Night with the Environmental Science Center at Seahurst Park

• Wednesday, August 5, 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.
• Location: ESC Building at Seahurst Park (1600 SW Seahurst Park Rd)

BAT Night at Clarke Beach Park, Mercer Island

• August 11, 8:15 – 9:15 p.m.
• Location: Clarke Beach Park, Mercer Island

HOW:
Visit www.zoo.org/batactivity for more details on attending these sunset meetups. It’s not a guarantee you’ll see bats, but you’ll still learn many cool facts about these fascinating nighttime neighbors and help contribute to our growing knowledge of local bat activity.

You can also participate in Bat Activity Trends on your own at home by downloading a participation packet and learning how to document bat activity. Simply go for a walk, visit a park or watch for bats in your backyard to document activity to send to the zoo. All the materials you’ll need are available for free on the zoo’s BAT program website (materials also available in Spanish).

The program focuses on building a map of participants’ data from King County, but data submissions from anywhere in the Pacific Northwest are accepted.

INFO:
Washington state is home to 14 bat species, 10 of which can be found statewide; four occur only in Eastern Washington. All Washington bats are insectivores, meaning they feed on insects.  

Bats are one of the most diverse groups of mammals in the animal kingdom and are essential to our ecosystem as pollinators, seed dispersers and pest controllers. Their nocturnal nature makes them a bit more mysterious than other creatures, and they often don’t get the credit they deserve.

Bat populations face many threats around the world, including habitat destruction, wind turbine fatalities, climate change and light pollution. In addition, the emergence of white-nose syndrome (WNS) in the eastern U.S. in 2006 has killed millions of bats. WNS was first discovered in Washington state in 2016. Scientists are still determining the impacts on Washington bats, and this new program will help with that effort.

To learn more about bats and the efforts to save the species visit www.zoo.org/batconservation.

HOW TO PROTECT BATS:

• Share about bats: One of the biggest steps you can take to help bats is to learn about them and share information with friends and family. Fear and misunderstanding can harm bats, so it’s important to share with everyone about all the good things bats do for us.
• Provide a home: Provide a habitat for bats in your yard by leaving hollow trees and snags standing, planting night blooming native plants, or installing a bat house. Keep cats indoors and reduce your use of pesticides or other chemicals in your yard.
• Contribute to research: Get involved with the Bat Activity Trends program and help us learn more about bats in the Pacific Northwest.