TKC Bat Monitoring and Education Program

Become a community scientist and contribute to our local bat knowledge!

How To Get Involved

​
Beginning in the summer of 2022, The Kensington Conservancy will be surveying for bats on our nature preserves using automated bat detection devices. These devices remotely monitor bat activity, by detecting high frequency ultrasonic vocalizations (echolocation) from nearby bats.
​
​Click the link below to learn more about our local bats and what we will be doing on our nature preserves to monitor for bats.

Report a Bat Sighting

Are you seeing bats flying around your property or elsewhere? Please consider reporting your sighting to us! Even if you cannot identify the species, it is still helpful to let us know about what you saw.
​
To Report a Bat Sighting: fill out the Bat Observation Reporting Form or email the information directly to corinne.wilkerson@kensingtonconservancy.org.

Please include the following information:
  • Date
  • Time
  • Location
  • Bat Species (if known)
  • Number of Bats

Also include a photo, if you have one.  Any additional information and comments are welcome.  

Join our iNaturalist project: Bats of the Algoma District

​If you have any questions about reporting your bat observation, please email Corinne at corinne.wilkerson@kensingtonconservancy.org or call The Kensington Conservation Centre at 705-782-2200​

Report a Bat Roost

Do you have bats roosting on your property? If you have a bat house set up on your property or if you are aware of a roosting location on private property or a public location, please report it to us!

What is a Roost?

A roost is any place that a wild bat uses for shelter or protection. There are many places where you can find bats roosting, including, buildings (cabins, barns, abandoned houses, occupied houses, warehouses, storage sheds), inside trees crevices or under bark, under bridges, mines, rock crevices, caves or bat houses. 

​To Report a Bat Roost Location: download and fill out the Roost Reporting Form and email it to: 
corinne.wilkerson@kensingtonconservancy.org

​​If you have any questions about reporting a bat roost site, please email Corinne at corinne.wilkerson@kensingtonconservancy.org or call the The Kensington Conservation Centre at 705-782-2200​.

Conduct a Colony Count

If you are reporting a roost location, you can also try to count the number of bats using the roost site. Bats are generally counted in the evening, about a half hour before sunset, as they exit their roost site to feed.  

To Conduct a Bat Colony Count: download and fill out the Colony Count Form and email it to:
corinne.wilkerson@kensingtonconservancy.org

​If you have any questions about conducting a colony count, please email Corinne at corinne.wilkerson@kensingtonconservancy.org or call the The Kensington Conservation Centre at 705-782-2200​.

Volunteer for Bat Monitoring

We are looking for volunteers to assist with installing and monitoring the bat recording devices.  If you have a special interest in the study of bats we would love your help! 

​If you are interested in volunteering with the bat program please email Corinne at corinne.wilkerson@kensingtonconservancy.org or call The Kensington Conservation Centre at 705-782-2200.

Install a Bat House

The Kensington Conservancy received a generous donation of four, 300 chamber bat houses from the Sault Naturalists and Goulais Wind Farm (Capstone Infrastructure). This spring, we will be setting up the bat houses on our nature preserves. One of the bat houses will be located at The Kensington Conservation Centre for easy public viewing.  

Installing a bat house on your own property will attract bats to the area and provide them with a safe, long-lasting summer home. The added benefit to you is that bats provide excellent mosquito control as they consume large quantities of insects. If you have a colony of bats on your property, a bat house can help you relocate them to a better spot, away from human-inhabited spaces.

There are plenty of resources online with instructions on how to construct a bat house, or you can purchase one already made from a reputable supplier, such as Canadian Bat Houses.

​If you would like only advice on building or purchasing a bat house, please email Corinne at corinne.wilkerson@kensingtonconservancy.org or call The Kensington Conservation Centre at 705-782-2200. 
Clean North in Sault Ste. Marie has bat houses for sale for $60 each. These bat houses were constructed in 2021 by a woodworking class at the École Notre-Dame-Du-Sault high school. Contact info@cleannorth.org if you would like to purchase one. Learn more.
​
​How to build your own bat house.

Participate in a Bat Outreach Event

During the upcoming months, The Kensington Conservancy will be hosting a variety of bat-themed outreach events.
​
Please stay tuned for updates on our Facebook page and website.  

You can watch the webinar that introduced this program below!

Thank you to the following for making this program possible: