Jackson Group was contracted by Western EcoSystems Technology (WEST) to conduct a mist-net survey for the proposed Bishop Hill Wind Farm in Henry county, Illinois.
This primary objective of this project was to use mist-net surveys and radio-tracking to document the spatial and temporal use and distribution of bats.
Twelve locations, totaling 48 net-nights, were surveyed for endangered bat species in August of 2009. One hundred and thirty-three bats representing seven species were captured during this survey. The most common species captured was the big brown bat (31%, n = 41), followed by the little brown bat (24%, n = 32), northern long-eared bat (19%, n = 25), eastern red bat (17%, n = 23), hoary bat (5%, n = 6), evening bat (4%, n = 5), and the eastern pipistrelle (1%, n = 1).