Oregon Field Guide — Townsend's Big-Eared Bats, Pelicans, Ghost Nets

Episode 1608

Townsend's Big-Eared Bats: The bat is one of the most common creatures on earth and yet we still don't know much about it. An Oregon scientist wants to change that. Join us underground and learn a lot more about the Townsend's Big Eared Bat. These bats emerge late in the evening to forage and are swift, highly maneuverable fliers. Prey items include small moths, flies, lacewings, dung beetles, and sawflies.; Read More and Watch this story

Pelicans: The American White Pelican is a very large white bird with black wing tips and a long, wide orange bill. They are graceful in flight, moving their wings in slow powerful strokes. White Pelicans nest in colonies of several hundred pairs on islands in remote brackish and freshwater lakes of inland North America. Shooting by poachers is the largest known cause of mortality, although the species is protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.; Read More and Watch this story

Ghost Nets: Commercial gillnet fishing is a common method of harvesting salmon in Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon. When the gear is lost at sea, it becomes a ghost net that continues to trap and kill sea birds and marine life, including endangered salmon. Field Guide follows net recovery efforts, including one activist who uses an underwater video camera to locate lost nets.; Read More and Watch this story