On yearly holidays involving fireworks and firecrackers, animal owners and companions receive warnings about the fear these explosions produce in our non-human friends. Dogs cower in terror or runoff. I was relieved my dog comforted himself by curling up in my bed. Horses panic in their stalls, kicking and injuring themselves. Mine had room to run and relieve their tension. But what about native, wild animals – do the fireworks negatively impact them as well? The short answer is yes.
I am participating in a long-term bat survey. I placed my acoustic recorder by my pool in the backyard. The study aims to determine the use of pools by desert bat species. I have a variety of bat types around my house. I see the early risers just before sunset, but I know many more come by in the dark when I’m asleep. But on the most recent firework-celebration holiday, I noticed some fundamental differences in their behavior.
The town I live in launches fireworks about a mile from my house. I had a great view of them, I must admit, although the noise was more than I had hoped. I took the opportunity to see if my bats were still flying around. No, they had departed once the firework display started. I doubted it was the bursting lights that drove off my bats. They don’t seem to be discouraged by lightning. No, I suspect it was the loud, percussive sound waves they didn’t want to deal with. For the twenty-minute show, I didn’t see anything flying above me. Afterward, it was too dark to see anything. I was pleased to see near-normal acoustic recording counts the following day. The fireworks may have driven away the bats, but they didn’t stay away. I was relieved.
Loud sounds can have a fatal effect on bats, resulting in death from shock. These important mammals deserve better treatment than this. Even though we don’t have as many insects in the desert as more humid environments do, we still have some bothersome species, such as gnats. Every night, I encourage the bats to eat as many gnats as possible! I have a personal hatred for gnats. I’ve encountered these insects in many places as they consume me for moisture and protein. I even wrote a horror parody based on their aggressive behavior, In the Swamp.
Along with the bats, I was also worried about the nocturnal birds. When I see the first bats at sunset, I also see Lesser Nighthawks, Chordeiles acutipennis. I suspect they, too, were affected by the percussive sound waves. Hopefully, they flew off aways and returned when the fireworks were over as the bats did. Humans forget about all the other animals living in the dark when we interrupt it with explosions. Some die of stress and shock. They can injure themselves, fleeing in terror and running into buildings. The astronomical observatories in the area are not the only entities that benefit from Tucson’s low light directive.
It’s doubtful that humans will give up our fireworks, but quieter ones are in development. Laser light shows are another possibility. Next time I enjoy fireworks, I’ll know my fellow desert inhabitants may not be.
Are you interested in learning more about bats? Take a look at my Bats and Rats downloadable workbook.
© 2021 All rights reserved Lyric power publishing llc
WHERE WE MAKE SCIENCE FUN!
