The red bat is part of the migratory tree bats group and is native to Ohio. Migratory tree bats travel north in the summer and back south in the winter. Instead of hibernating in caves, they often hibernate in trees or leaf litter and rock crevices. These bats migrate varying distances using landmarks and magnetic cues to direct themselves.
Red bats use echolocation to navigate by sound. Bats make noises and then listen for the echo, using auditory details to build a mental map of their surroundings so they don't crash into things. Unfortunately, as bats migrate at night along Lake Erie, the buildings in downtown Cleveland create problems for them.
Smooth vertical surfaces like tall buildings with windows create "acoustic illusions" for bats. The windows reflect the echolocation calls away from a bat instead of directly back to them, making the bat think the path ahead is clear. As the bats chase insects under the lights at night, they can crash into windows and suffer concussions and other injuries.
Lights Out Cleveland was started to rescue the thousands of birds and bats that migrate at night along Lake Erie and run into the windows of tall buildings in Cleveland. Volunteers scan the streets looking for birds and bats that hit buildings.Birds and bats found alive are taken to wildlife rehabilitation centers for treatment and release.
Since 2017, the Kevin P. Clinton Wildlife Center at Penitentiary Glen Reservation has taken in 96 bats from Lights Out Cleveland; 80 of those bats have been released. Red bats are listed as a species of concern in Ohio.
This red bat was rescued after hitting a building in Cleveland. After treatment for a concussion, she was released to continue her migration south.