Urban Bat Project NYC uses sonar-recording devices to study bat populations across New York City, including Green-Wood Cemetery, revealing nocturnal activity that humans cannot hear.

Volunteer training focuses on keeping bat detectors elevated, transferring data from memory cards, and knot-tying to secure equipment, all to maximize data quality.

The project’s five most commonly observed species are eastern red bat, big brown bat, hoary bat, silver-haired bat, and tri-colored bat, with habitat differences between Prospect Park and Green-Wood influencing species presence.

A large bat walk in Prospect Park drew hundreds of participants before NYPD dispersed the crowd; organizers plan spring 2027 walks and volunteer opportunities at urbanbatsnyc.com.

Red Hook sky activity near recreation facilities can attract insects and bats, especially in the first two hours after sunset.

Expanding detector coverage faces challenges in securing accessible, secure locations, and detectors may remain active through winter as interest persists.

White-nose syndrome historically devastated North American bat populations, slowing recovery, but urban environments may offer advantages for some species due to green roofs and insect activity around lights.

Bat sonar data helps distinguish species, such as big brown bat being low-pitched and bouncy and eastern red bat being higher-pitched, with examples from Green-Wood and Prospect Park habitats.

Nic Comparato, founder of Urban Bat Project NYC and Rutgers PhD student, leads bat walks, lectures, and research using bat detectors to identify species by sonar frequency and pitch.

The project operates a network of six detector locations across NYC, recording bat activity as well as other urban sounds like birds and city noises.