The Amazing World of Bats, Nature’s Tiny Fighter Jets
Bats! Those strange, mysterious creatures we only catch glimpses of around twilight. Bats are fascinating animals with incredible skills of flight and nighttime navigation. They contribute to our environment in surprising ways including serving as master catchers of insect pests, pollinating wild fruits, and helping reforest disturbed lands. Poorly understood and frequently feared, they are under threat world-wide due to use of pesticides, loss of habitat, and being killed by humans. They need our protection as much as we need them in healthy populations. This multi-media presentation features photographs, video, audio clips, and museum specimens. We will also review results of a four-year acoustic survey of bat presence Don conducted in Borrego Palm Canyon’s First Grove following a fire in January 2020. That fire burned most of the native palms and nearly all of the ground level vegetation. His research study documented grove recovery and population trends in this important habitat for bats, birds, and other residents.
During an evening “bat walk” tour in the Borrego Springs area, Don will demonstrate using an ultrasonic microphone and a tablet to hear and identify their high frequency echolocation calls used to navigate and find and catch insect prey, often in complete darkness. We should be able to observe one or more of several local bat species as they begin foraging shortly after sunset.
- Discover the Secret Lives of Bats – Learn how these incredible creatures navigate, hunt, and support our ecosystem.
- Hear Bats in Action – Use ultrasonic tech to listen to their echolocation and watch them hunt in real-time.
- Join a Real Science Adventure – Explore a four-year study on bat recovery after wildfire.
- Unforgettable Night in the Desert – Experience bats under the stars and connect with nature like never before!
REGISTER TODAY!
DATE: Saturday, May 3, 2025
TIME:
Lecture: 2:30 p.m.–4:30 p.m.
Field Trip: 6:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.
LOCATION:
Lecture: ABF Office (587 Palm Canyon Dr. #122, Borrego Springs, CA 92004, located in The Mall next to Kendall’s Café)
Field trip: Meet at Christmas Circle and carpool to Palms at Indianhead, followed by Borrego Springs High School.
COST:
ABF Member: $45/person (lecture only: $8)
Non-Member: $55/person (lecture only: $10)
Student: $25/person (lecture only: free)
Scholarships: A limited number of scholarships are available for those with financial hardship. If you’d like to request a scholarship, please reach out to [email protected] with a two–three paragraph description about why you’d like to attend this program and your need for a scholarship.
ABOUT THE PRESENTER – Don Endicott
A retired civilian research engineer and executive in the field of Navy Communications and Network Technologies in San Diego, Don discovered a second career as a volunteer naturalist. He is a National Association of Interpretation Certified Interpretive Guide and Mission Trails Regional Park Trail Guide as well as public educator for the San Diego Natural History Museum and the San Diego Humane Society as a member of Project Wildlife’s “Bat Team”. Don presents three different multi-media talks on Bats, Mountain Lions, and Peregrine Falcons at regional venues such as Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, Mission Trails Regional Park, and Agua Caliente County Park as well as for San Diego River Park Foundation, Volcan Mountain Foundation, San Diego Community College, and other not for profit educational and conservation organizations. He conducts acoustic surveys throughout the San Diego County region and sites in the Western United States and Canada and contributes full spectrum bat echolocation call recordings to the San Diego Natural History Museum and Wildlife Acoustics, a bioacoustics monitoring systems company, where they have been incorporated into reference libraries for species identification. He monitors nesting Peregrine Falcons for the National Park Service and US Fish & Wildlife Service. Don is co-author of 50 Best Short Hikes San Diego (Wilderness Press, 2018) with the late Jerry Schad. He was recognized as Anza-Borrego Desert State Park’s volunteer Naturalist of the Year in 2018 and received Anza-Borrego Foundation’s second annual ABF Achievement Award in 2015.
CANCELLATION POLICY: Cancellation requests must be received seven days before the event if you wish to receive a refund. ABF may cancel a program due to inclement weather or low attendance, with 24-hour notice if possible. If ABF cancels a program, we will issue a full refund or credit.
rogram, we will issue a full refund or credit.
