Over-wintering and reproduction by the Big Brown Bat, Eptesicus fuscus, in new Brunswick

The first evidence of over-wintering and reproduction by the Big Brown Bat, Eptesicus fuscus, in New Brunswick is documented based on 24 new specimens and other reports from southern New Brunswick. Previously, this species was known in New Brunswick from three specimens and several unverifiable sightings. New distributional records, combined with echolocation surveys, suggest that E. fuscus is an insignificant component of forested ecosystems along the Fundy coast of central New Brunswick. In New Brunswick, the Big Brown Bat appears to be closely associated with human-occupied buildings. New Brunswick data support a previous suggestion that such behaviour may have promoted a northward range expansion by E. fuscus, and perhaps an increase in populations in more northerly regions.