Bat activity and insect abundance data along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon, AZ

These data were compiled to improve our understanding of bat foraging along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon. Objectives of our study were to determine whether bat activity was influenced primarily by variation in prey availability relative to other environmental or geomorphic factors. These data represent 1,428 paired samples of bat activity and insect abundance calculated as catch rates collected on 611 sampling nights at 410 sampling sites throughout a 470 km segment of river. These data were collected from April to October in 2017-2020 at recreational camps along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon between Glen Canyon Dam and Pearce Ferry. These data were collected through a U.S. Geological Survey led community science program that recruited recreational river runners to sample insects using light traps and to record bat activity using handheld acoustic recorders. Sampling was conducted for one hour at dusk during each night of the river expedition. These data can be used to interpret changes in total bat activity and insect catch rates over time and space relative to environmental variables.