11 Jul Home to roost no more

Well here’s some depressing news: Of the seven bat species* ever recorded in Nova Scotia, only three — the little brown bat, the northern long-eared bat, and the tri-coloured bat — have been present in “significant populations.”

Today, provincial wildlife experts listed all three as endangered under the Nova Scotia Endangered Species Act.

The Department of Natural Resources website cites white-nose-syndrome, a fatal fungus-borne disease that has killed nearly seven million bats in eastern North America in the last eight years. The three years since the disease was first detected in Nova Scotia have seen an estimated 90% percent decline in our populations.

There is no known cure for the disease which is lethal and affects all bat species that congregate in caves and abandoned mines used for hibernation through the winter. About 16 hibernation sites are known in Nova Scotia.

Equally distressing, the barn swallow, which Robie Tudfts classic 1973 Birds of Nova Scotia listed as “common to abundant” is now endangered.

Loss of important nesting sites in the wake of changing agricultural practices (barns) and other artificial structures such as bridges maybe implicated with declines. Concurrent declines of many other aerial insectivorous birds in Nova Scotia and throughout North America suggest changes in the insect food base and climate change may also be implicated.

Like our native bats, the barn swallow is an acrobatic flier and a voracious consumer of biting insects. Until a few years ago, these birds were ubiquitous in Nova Scotia farmland.

In all, 19 plants and animals received added protection today. Find a complete, annotated list here.

*The complete list is: ? Little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus); Northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis); Big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus); Eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis); Hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus); Silver-haired bat (Lasinycteris noctivagans); and Tri-colored bat (Perimyotis subflavus).
Of these, only Little brown bat, Northern long-eared bat, and Tri-colored bat have known si