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For the Love of Bats is an exploration of the bats unique to the western United States. Through the lens of volunteerism and intentional experiences For the Love of Bats will open you up to the wonder and beauty of the night skies, challenging preconceived notions of the biology, behaviors, and benefits of this endlessly interesting group of animals that are bats. Published by Mountaineers Books, Seattle, WA.
Available at most bookstores
Order online from: Third Place Books & Bookshop.org
Also available at Amazon, Mountaineers Books, Barnes and Noble, and your local bookshop!
And at the Library! KCLS
Author and Book Events:
UPCOMING
Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 6pm: Virtual Talk on You Tube for Oregon Wild podcast. Register HERE
Thursday, Nov. 19th at 6pm: Author Talk at Village Books in Bellingham, WA. (with Bat Rehabber Meg Lunnum) RSVP (Free event)
Saturday, Dec 5th (all day): Wild Arts Festival in Hillsboro, OR. (with illustrator Anneke Wilder) TICKETS
Monday, Dec. 7th at 7pm: Author Talk at Powell’s Books in Portland, OR. (with author Lyanda Lynn Haupt) (Free event)
Wednesday, January 13th at 6pm: Author Talk at The Burke Museum in Seattle, WA. (with Dr. Sharlene Santana)
Monday, March 8th at 10:30am: Author Talk at the Milton Community Center, Milton, WA.
Sat. & Sun. March 13-14 (all day): Author panel and book signings at the Tucson Festival of Books in Tucson, AZ. (Free event) INFO
PAST
Sunday, Sept. 27th at 9pm: Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association, an evening of informal discussion at The Nightcapper. Columbia Event Center, Portland, OR. Conference attendees only.
Tuesday, Sept. 29th at 6:30pm: Author Talk at Roundabout Books in Bend, OR with Northwest bat Hub Coordinator Beth Meyer.
Friday, Oct 2nd (Breakout sessions 2): Thurston Conservation District is hosting United in Conservation: Local Ag in the Time of a Changing Climate at the Lacey Community Center in Lacey, WA near Olympia. Bats and Forests talk followed by book sales and signing at lunch.
Wednesday, Oct 7th at 6:30pm: Author Talk at Third Place Books in the Lake Forest Park Commons, Lake Forest Lake, WA. (Free event)
Wednesday, Oct 14th at 6pm: Author Talk at Old Firehouse Bookstore in Fort Collins, CO. (with Climbers for Bat Conservation co-founder Rob Schorr) (Free)
Thursday, Oct 15th at lunchtime: Book Signing at the Bat Goods Booth at NASBR in Fort Collins, CO. Conference attendees only.
Thursday, Oct 22nd at 6:30pm: Author talk at The Mountaineers Club in Magnuson Park, Seattle, WA. (with Bat Rehabilitation specialist Barb Ogaard) TICKETS
Sunday, Oct 25th: Denizens of the Highline Forest (Speaker series) For the Love of Bats at the Burien Library. 2pm. MORE INFO (Free Event)
Tuesday, Oct 27th at 6pm: Author & Illustrator Talk at Browers Books in Olympia, WA. (with illustrator Anneke Wilder) (Free event)
Thursday, Oct 29th at 7pm: Author discussion at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, WA. (with Woodland Park Zoo Conservation Manager Katie Remine and Bats Northwest Volunteer Katie Lundi) RSVP HERE (Free event)
Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 6pm: Bat talk and Book signing at the Issaquah Rotary Club.
Talks, News, & More:
The Mouthy Marmot podcast: Magical Autumn birds, trails, and bats. LISTEN HERE (Nov. 4, 2026)
Oregon Public News Service: Bat Week: Spotlighting Oregon's Nocturnal Pest Patrol. LISTEN HERE (Oct. 26, 2026)
Seattle Skeptipalooza 2026: The Truth About Bats with Niki Desautels. WATCH HERE (August 2026)
First Tuesday: Bats of Washington State with Niki Desautels. WATCH HERE (Nov. 7, 2023)
Cascade PBS. Human Elements: Going to Bat for a Misunderstood Mammal WATCH HERE (March 10, 2023)
Reviews
Desautels is unquestioningly enthusiastic about bats, and she writes with an easy, accessible style. The outings to national parks and her accompanying so many scientists as they capture, tag, and perform other research on bats make the text inviting and enliven the narrative.
…if you’re interested in bats in general, this book can be a good starting point. Desautels covers just about everything there is to know about bats, from their origin and evolution to feeding, mating, flight, echolocation, migration, hibernation, torpor, and other fascinating characteristics.
I write for Bat Conservation International, and write a lot about bats. Over the last several years, I thought I’d learned almost everything there was to know about bats. Yet I learned a number of new things from this book.
https://greendispatch.substack.com/p/for-the-love-of-bats-exploring-nature
The Green Dispatch, by Paul Hormick.
“For the Love of Bats: Exploring Nature at Night with the West's Flying Mammals by Niki Desautels ($24.95, 9781680517361, 10/1/26) celebrates the diversity of bats, revealing their unusual behaviors, habitats, and physiology while making a compelling case for stewardship and conservation. Desautels shares a vivid, place-based exploration of the West's only flying mammals, blending natural history with in-the-field experiences.”
“Though often feared, these creatures of the night are an important part of healthy ecosystems, according to Desautels, who explains that they control insect populations, pollinate plants, and disperse nutrients between habitats. She guides readers through the qualities that make bats unique: they are the only mammals on Earth that can truly fly, and they have a “superpower” called echolocation, the ability to sense their surroundings using sound, which helps them navigate and capture prey. Desautels dispels common myths, explaining how folklore and Bram Stoker’s Dracula have led people to associate bats with blood-sucking monsters. However, almost all bat species consume a diet of either insects or fruit. The three species that do feed on animal blood have small fangs, and the tiny wounds they create often go unnoticed by their prey. Elsewhere, she sheds light on more obscure species, such as the tube-lipped nectar bat, which has the longest tongue for its body size of any animal except chameleons. Desautels explains bat biology clearly and comprehensively and offers helpful tips for supporting local bat populations, like planting native flowers and trees in one’s yard. Readers will emerge with a deeper appreciation of these misunderstood creatures. (Oct.)