Not the best bat photo but it came from a minor adventure I had.

“Most everyone knows about bats’ unique place among mammals for their ability to fly,” said Rachel Sowards-Thompson, an interpretive specialist with the Bureau of Land Management. “But most don’t know that one of every four mammals on earth is a bat. Or, that bats can endure body temperatures below freezing. Or that bats practice family planning, or that some bats can catch and eat fish.” Joe Szewczak, of Humboldt State University, will present these and other amazing facts, and talk about the essential role played by these eco-essential animals in habitats throughout the world, including the North Coast in a free lecture Tuesday, March 6, at 7 p.m., at the Healy Senior Center, 456 Briceland Rd., in Redway. “Bats: Sleight of Wing, Magic in the Dark,” will will feature Szewczak discussing these unique flying mammals and their conservation.

Dr. Szewczak is a professor in the HSU Department of Biological Sciences. Originally trained as an engineer, he now applies technical fluency in solving problems related to birds, bats and other vertebrates. He has investigated bat physiology, distributions and vocalizations. He developed SonoBird and SonoBat computer software for analyzing vocalizations and automated bird and bat acoustic monitoring methods for use by state and federal agencies. Dr. Szewczak is currently working on methods to deter bats from approaching wind turbines.

The lecture is being presented by the BLM and the Lost Coast Interpretive Association as part of their annual winter lecture series.