2013 Northeastern Naturalist Notes Vol. 20, No. 3 N8 C.D. Rockey, J.P. Stumpf, and A. Kurta Additional Winter Recoveries of Indiana Bats (Myotis sodalis) Banded during Summer in Michigan Craig D. Rockey1, Joshua P. Stumpf1, and Allen Kurta1,* Abstract - We report 4 new recoveries of the endangered Myotis sodalis (Indiana Bat) that were banded in Michigan during summer and found hibernating in Ohio, Indiana, or Kentucky, 225–386 km from the initial banding site. A fifth individual apparently made the longest migration on record for Indiana Bats (575 km) on multiple occasions. Since 1997, 15% of 71 Indiana Bats banded in Michigan during summer have been recovered during winter. Seasonal migration can be costly in terms of energy and time and often increases the risk of certain types of mortality, such as predation or deaths due to cold or wet weather (Fleming and Eby 2003). For temperate insectivorous bats, the stress of migration is exacerbated because migration is often sex-biased, with adult females traveling farther than most males (Cryan and Veilleux 2007, Kurta 2010). The females make their journey in spring, while in the early stages of pregnancy, and in late summer, the migrating population includes inexperienced young-of-the-year. Migration is particularly problematic for endangered species because this behavior can intensify the risk of extinction (Cryan 2011, US Fish and Wildlife Service 2007). Therefore, any knowledge of migratory patterns is potentially useful to wildlife managers. Myotis sodalis Miller and Allen (Indiana Bat) is an endangered species that lives in much of the eastern and midwestern United States (US Fish and Wildlife Service 2007). In summer, males are solitary, whereas females typically form maternity colonies and roost behind the loose bark of dead trees, where they give birth and raise their single young. Both sexes hibernate in caves or mines during winter. In the Midwest, most Indiana Bats overwinter in southern Indiana, Kentucky, or Missouri, and they migrate generally northward in spring, with females moving greater distances than males (Gardner and Cook 2002, Whitaker and Brack 2002). For example, only 11% of adult Indiana Bats captured in southern Lower Michigan are male (Kurta and Rice 2002). A few Indiana Bats banded in Michigan previously have been discovered during hibernation (Winhold and Kurta 2006), and in this paper, we describe 4 new recoveries, of Indiana Bats that originally were banded during summer in Lenawee County, MI. In addition, we report 2 new sightings of an individual that was banded initially during summer in Jackson County, MI, and first found hibernating in Kentucky in 2005. Between 1995 and 2007, biologists from Eastern Michigan University banded 51 Indiana Bats during summer in southern Lower Michigan (e.g., Kurta et al. 2002, Winhold 2007). The bands were imprinted with a 4-digit number and the letters “EMU YPSI MI”, which represented our university, city, and state, respectively. Range-wide, the size of the population of Indiana Bats is determined every 2 years, in winter, when the bats are concentrated in their hibernacula (US Fish and Wildlife Service 2007). All recaptures of banded animals that we discuss occurred during these biennial counts. The four newly recovered bats originally were banded within the home range of a maternity colony of Indiana Bats, about 5 km south of Palmyra, Lenawee County, MI. A male young-of-the-year, banded on 5 August 2004, was recaptured on 14 January 2007 1Department of Biology, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI 48197. *Corresponding author - akurta@emich.edu. Notes of the Northeastern Naturalist, Issue 20/3, 2013 Northeastern Naturalist Notes N9 2013 Vol. 20, No. 3 C.D. Rockey, J.P. Stumpf, and A. Kurta in Grotto Cave, Monroe County, IN. A female young-of-the-year, originally caught on 25 July 2006, was found hibernating on 29 January 2007 in Ray’s Cave, Greene County, IN. The third bat was banded on 6 July 2007, when lactating, and recaptured on 22 November 2009 in Saltpeter Cave, Carter County, KY. The approximate distance between site of banding and recovery for these bats was 376, 386, and 378 km, respectively (Fig. 1). A fourth banded bat roosted high in the Lewisburg Limestone Mine, Preble County, OH (Fig. 1), on 18 February 2012, and could not be reached by the surveyors; consequently, a photograph was taken of the exposed part of the band. The letters “YPSI” were visible in the photograph, but only 2 digits (“73”) could be seen. Nevertheless, the numeral “3” was below the “I” of “YPSI”, indicating that the “3” was the last digit of our 4-digit number. Our records showed that only one Indiana Bat ever received a band with a number ending in “73”—#6473, an adult female, banded on 14 May 2007, near Palmyra, about 225 km from the Lewisburg Limestone Mine. In addition to the previously unreported individuals from Palmyra, an adult female was found hibernating in Colossal Cave, Edmonson County, KY, on the grounds of Mammoth Cave National Park, on both 24 January 2007 and 8 February 2011. This individual was 1 of 5 Indiana Bats mist-netted along a wooded fenceline, about 3 km southeast of Norvell, Jackson County, MI, and banded on 27 May 2004 (Winhold et al. 2005). The bat was first found hibernating in Colossal Cave on 3 February 2005, as reported by Winhold and Kurta (2006). The distance between Norvell and Colossal Cave is about 575 kilometers, which is the longest migratory distance on record for any Indiana Bat (Fig. 1; Winhold and Kurta 2006, US Fish and Wildlife Service 2007). Although we cannot be certain whether this individual summered in Michigan each year between 2005 and 2010, Indiana Bats are philopatric, and many individuals have been recaptured, near their original banding site, in summers following initial capture (e.g., Gardner et al. 1991, Gumbert et al. 2002, Kurta and Murray 2002, Winhold et al., 2005). Therefore, it seems likely this bat has made the 575-km journey between Norvell and Colossal Cave many times. The animal found in the Lewisburg Limestone Mine was the first Indiana Bat from Michigan known to hibernate in Ohio and the first banded in summer to be found overwintering in a mine; all others had been discovered in caves (Winhold and Kurta 2006). Distance traveled by this bat (225 km) was 151 km less than the shortest known migratory distance for any other Indiana bat from Michigan (this study, Winhold and Kurta 2006). The Lewisburg Mine has been available for use by bats only for the last 30 years (Brack 2007) and provides a manmade hibernaculum in an area without other suitable sites for overwintering. Although maximum migratory distances of Indiana Bats from the Midwest appear much greater than those of Indiana bats in the East (US Fish and Wildlife Service 2007), we suggest that this difference is only due to geology. In contrast to the East, all of southern Michigan, northern Indiana, and northern Ohio is covered by many meters of glacial till so that caves or mines are rare or nonexistent (e.g., Dorr and Eschman 1970, Powell 1961), and Midwestern bats simply are forced to fly farther between suitable sites for summer and winter than those in the East. The 4 new returns corroborated the findings of Winhold and Kurta (2006), who reported that members of the maternity colony of Indiana Bats near Norvell did not winter in the same hibernaculum or even in the same general region of the Midwest (Fig. 1). These 4 recent recoveries represented banded bats from a different maternity colony (Palmyra), located about 40 km southeast of Norvell, and these new individuals hibernated in 4 separate locations, up to 325 km apart (Fig. 1). Average distance between site of summer banding and winter recovery for the 4 recent individuals was 341 ± 19 (SE) km. When we 2013 Northeastern Naturalist Notes Vol. 20, No. 3 N10 C.D. Rockey, J.P. Stumpf, and A. Kurta Figure 1. Map showing approximate location of hibernacula used by Indiana Bats that were banded in Michigan during summer. Shaded symbols represent a maternity colony near Palmyra, MI, and associated hibernacula. Open symbols denote a maternity colony near Norvell, MI, and associated hibernacula, as reported by Winhold and Kurta (2006). Letters represent locations specifically mentioned in the text: A = Palmyra, B = Norvell, C = Ray’s Cave, D = Grotto Cave, E = Colossal Cave, F = Saltpeter Cave, and G = Lewisburg Limestone Mine. Ray’s Cave (C) was used for hibernation by individuals from the maternity colonies at both Norvell and Palmyra. Northeastern Naturalist Notes N11 2013 Vol. 20, No. 3 C.D. Rockey, J.P. Stumpf, and A. Kurta combine the new recoveries from the colony near Palmyra with 7 previously reported in the literature from Norvell (Winhold and Kurta 2006), average migratory distance for all 11 bats is 429 ± 23 km. These 11 Indiana Bats from two maternity colonies in Michigan were found in 10 different hibernacula; only Ray’s Cave was used by individuals from both the summer colonies at Norvell and Palmyra. Although the costs of migration often are viewed in terms of time, energy, and predation (Fleming and Eby 2003), Indiana Bats migrating between Michigan and Indiana, Ohio, or Kentucky are faced with new challenges. Wind-energy developments are becoming common in the Midwest, and many species of bats, including Indiana Bats, have been killed by wind turbines in these states, through collisions and/or barotrauma (Ellison 2012, US Fish and Wildlife Service 2012a). Band recoveries do not indicate specific routes that bats actually take during migration, but they do identify the starting and ending points of migration and suggest possible trajectories that should be considered by developers of wind farms, as they attempt to prevent the deaths of these endangered bats. In addition, migration likely plays a role in the spread of Geomyces destructans, a psychrophilic fungus that has caused the death of more than 5 million hibernating bats since 2007 (Turner et al. 2011, US Fish and Wildlife Service 2012b). This disease (white-nose syndrome) is still absent from the central and western basins of the Great Lakes. However, at least 3 of the hibernacula used by Indiana Bats from Michigan are infected as of winter 2011–2012: Grotto Cave, Batwing Cave (L. Pruitt, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Bloomington, IN, pers. comm.) and the Lewisburg Mine (L.M. Walker, Environmental Solutions and Innovations, Cincinnati, OH, pers. comm.). Spores of the fungus have been detected at maternity roosts of other species (Dobony et al. 2011), suggesting that at least some transmission may occur during summer. The fact that Indiana Bats from a single maternity colony hibernate in many different places may aid in spreading this disease. To date, 11 (15%) of the71 Indiana Bats that we banded in summer have been recovered at their hibernacula. Rates of recovery of banded bats are typically low (Ellison 2008), and our success rate is one of the highest ever in terms of bats banded in summer later being found at distant hibernacula. We attribute this success to a number of factors. First, efforts of resource agencies to monitor the population of hibernating Indiana Bats every 2 years, in accordance with the recovery plan for the Indiana Bat (US Fish and Wildlife Service 2007), ensures that biologists are consistently visiting all major hibernacula across the range of the species. Second, mass banding of thousands of bats at hibernacula (e.g., Hall 1962) no longer occurs; consequently, the few banded animals that are present draw the attention of surveyors. Finally, our bands, unlike many others in use today, are distinctive and provide information about the bander. We strongly encourage resource personnel to continue recording information from banded animals during winter. Perhaps 90% of these bats will soon die from white-nose syndrome (Turner et al. 2011), and the opportunity to gather information on long-distance movements may be lost forever. Acknowledgments. We thank V. Brack and L.M. Walker of Environmental Solutions and Innovations; T. Hemberger and B. Slack of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources; and S. Thomas of the US National Park Service, for providing information on the five bats. We also thank the many members of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, US Forest Service, US National Park Service, and US Fish and Wildlife Service, who participated in the winter surveys. M. Schaeffer kindly allowed access to the Lewisburg Mine. Banding at Palmyra was supported by State Wildlife Grant T-9-T-1, administered by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and awarded to A. Kurta. 2013 Northeastern Naturalist Notes Vol. 20, No. 3 N12 C.D. Rockey, J.P. Stumpf, and A. Kurta Literature Cited Brack, V., Jr. 2007. Temperatures and locations used by hibernating bats, including Myotis sodalis (Indiana Bat), in a limestone mine: Implications for conservation and management. Environmental Management 40:739–746. Cryan, P.M. 2011. Wind turbines as landscape impediments to the migratory connectivity of bats. Environmental Law 41:355–370. Cryan, P.M., and J.P. Veilleux. 2007. Migration and use of autumn, winter, and spring roosts by tree bats. Pp. 153–175, In M.J. Lacki, J.P. Hayes, and A. Kurta (Eds.). Bats in Forests. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD. 329 pp. Dobony, C.A., A.C. Hicks, K.E. Langwig, R.I. von Linden, J.C. Okoniewski, and R.E. Rainbolt. 2011. Little Brown Myotis persist despite exposure to white-nose syndrome. Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management 2:190–195. Dorr, J.A., Jr., and D.F. Eschman. 1970. Geology of Michigan. University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, MI. 476 pp. Ellison, L.E., 2008. Summary and analysis of the United States government bat banding program. United States Geological Survey. Open-File Report 2008-1363:1–117. Ellison, L.E., 2012. Bats and wind energy: A literature synthesis and annotated bibliography. US Geological Survey Open-File Report 2012–1110:1–57. Fleming, T.H., and P. Eby. 2003. Ecology of bat migration. Pp. 156–208, In T. Kunz and M.B. Fenton (Eds.). Bat Ecology. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL. 798 pp. Gardner, J.E., and E.A. Cook. 2002. Seasonal and geographic distribution and quantification of potential summer habitat. Pp. 9–20, In A. Kurta, and J. Kennedy (Eds.). The Indiana Bat: Biology and management of an endangered species. Bat Conservation International, Austin, TX. 253 pp. Gardner, J. E., J. D. Garner, and J. E. Hofmann. 1991. Summer roost selection and roosting behavior of Myotis sodalis (Indiana Bat) in Illinois. Unpublished report, Illinois Natural History Survey, Champaign, IL. Gumbert, M.W., J.M. O’Keefe, and J.R. MacGregor. 2002. Roost fidelity in Kentucky. Pp. 143–152, In A. Kurta and J. Kennedy (Eds.). The Indiana Bat: Biology and Management of an Endangered Species. Bat Conservation International, Austin, TX. 253 pp. Hall, J.S. 1962. A life history and taxonomic study of the Indiana Bat, Myotis sodalis. Reading Public Museum and Art Gallery, Scientific Publications 12:1–68. Kurta, A. 2010. Reproductive timing, distribution, and sex ratios of tree bats in Lower Michigan. Journal of Mammalogy 91:586–592. Kurta, A., and S.W. Murray. 2002. Philopatry and migration of banded Indiana Bats and effects of using radio transmitters. Journal of Mammalogy 83:585–589. Kurta, A., and H. Rice. 2002. Ecology and management of the Indiana Bat in Michigan. Michigan Academician 33:361–376. Kurta, A., S. W. Murray, and D. Miller. 2002. Roost selection and movements across the summer landscape. Pp. 118–129, In A. Kurta and J. Kennedy (Eds.). The Indiana Bat: Biology and Management of an Endangered Species. Bat Conservation International, Austin, TX. 253 pp. Powell, R. L. 1961. Caves of Indiana. Indiana Department of Conservation, Geological Survey, Circular 8:1–127. Turner, G.G., D.M. Reeder, and J.T.H. Coleman. 2011. A five-year assessment of mortality and geographic spread of white-nose syndrome in North American bats and a look to the future. Bat Research News 52:13–27. US Fish and Wildlife Service. 2007. Indiana Bat draft recovery plan: First revision. Ft. Snelling, MN. US Fish and Wildlife Service. 2012a. Endangered Indiana Bat found dead at Ohio wind facility; steps underway to reduce future mortalities. Available online at http://www.fws.gov/midwest/ News/release.cfm?rid=604. Accessed 12 December 2012. US Fish and Wildlife Service. 2012b. White-nose syndrome. The devastating disease of hibernating bats in North America. Available online at http://whitenosesyndrome.org/sites/default/files/ resource/white-nose_fact_sheet_9-2012.pdf. Accessed 17 December 2012. Northeastern Naturalist Notes N13 2013 Vol. 20, No. 3 C.D. Rockey, J.P. Stumpf, and A. Kurta Whitaker, J.O., Jr., and V. Brack, Jr. 2002. Distribution and summer ecology in Indiana. Pp. 48–54, In A. Kurta and J. Kennedy (Eds.). The Indiana Bat: Biology and Management of an Endangered Species. Bat Conservation International, Austin, TX. 253 pp. Winhold, L. 2007. Community ecology of bats in southern Lower Michigan, with emphasis on roost selection by Myotis. Unpubl. M.Sc. Thesis. Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI. Winhold, L., and A. Kurta. 2006. Aspects of migration by the endangered Indiana Bat (Myotis sodalis). Bat Research News 47:1–6. Winhold, L., E. Hough, and A. Kurta. 2005. Long-term fidelity of tree-roosting bats to a home area. Bat Research News 46:9–10.