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About Us
Vesper bats, also known as evening bats, are species in the family Vespertilionidae: the most diverse family of bats in the world and the main bats found in North America.
Acoustic monitoring is the best tool available for non-invasive bat research, particularly for rare species. Vesper grew out of a love for acoustic monitoring and a desire to provide these services in a meaningful way.
At Vesper, we believe in forming a strong partnership with our clients to provide the highest quality expertise at reasonable rates. Vesper is guided by sound science, excellent communication, and a solid work ethic.
Give us a call today and let’s discuss how we can work with you.
The Faces of Vesper
We are a small, dedicated, and close-knit team started by the Solick brothers and family friends.
Donald Solick
(he/him)
CEO, Bat Biologist
Our founder and CEO, Donald Solick, has been involved with bat research for nearly 30 years. Donald fell in love with bats ("Love at first bite!") during an undergraduate tropical biology course in Costa Rica. He then worked for several years as a seasonal field biologist, studying the roosting behavior of bats in Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, and Oregon, before pursuing his Masters in Ecology from the University of Calgary. For his thesis, Donald compared the thermoregulatory and roosting behavior of western long-eared bats living in the mountains and badlands of Alberta. In 2007, Donald was hired as a Bat Biologist for WEST, Inc., where he specialized in acoustic monitoring and echolocation species identification. During the pandemic, he was let go and decided to start Vesper as a way to remain connected to the bat world until he could find a new full-time job. Vesper has since become very popular. Nick, Satya, and Meagan do the heavy-lifting at Vesper, allowing Donald to take a full-time Bat Biologist position in 2022 for the non-profit Electric Power Research Institute, where he is able to do cutting-edge research to reduce bat fatalities at wind energy facilities and enhance habitat along powerline corridors. Donald is also writing two books on bat echolocation identification. When he is not thinking about bats, Donald enjoys raising his non-binary teenager, traveling, scuba-diving, and salsa dancing.
Meagan Allira
(they/them)
Data Analyst
Meagan Allira is a wildlife biologist and disease ecologist with a Master’s degree in Biology from the University of Oklahoma. Their background bridges fieldwork, ecological modeling, GIS, and molecular methods, with extensive experience studying bats and other wildlife across North America. Meagan’s primary research interests are in wildlife health and behavior, which has led them to be involved in projects with acoustic monitoring, ecological data analysis, and the integration of field-based and laboratory techniques to better understand wildlife health and behavior. With a passion for applying science to real-world conservation and management, they bring both technical expertise and hands-on experience to wildlife monitoring, and are currently contracting as an acoustic data analyst for Vesper Bat Echolocation Specialists.. When they are not working, Meagan spends most of their time with their spouse and animal family. They have two dogs and often enjoy camping in the Colorado wilderness and snuggling at home with their cat.
Nick Solick
(he/him)
Lead Data Analyst
Nick Solick, our leading data analyst, is a cave-dwelling gremlin who subsists solely on identifying bat calls. He says that this is enough words about him.
Satya Glaser
(she/they)
Administrator, Customer Relations Manager
Our caring Administrator and Customer Relations Manager, Satya Glaser, has been part of the Vesper Bats family since 2022 and a close friend of the owner for many years prior. Satya is the “right hand” of Vesper, and handles acoustic workshop enrollments, invoicing, paperwork, financial data, customer interactions, and other behind-the-scenes business operations. Satya has been a lover of bats ever since high school, along with other winged creatures like moths and butterflies. When they are not at the computer connecting with Vesper clients, their time is spent with their 4 teen and adult kids and their rescue dog and cats; as well as running their own business practice as a trained clinical herbalist and certified yoga therapist where they support neurodivergent and disabled people with accessible yoga therapy practices and plant medicine. They are happiest when gardening, creating herbal remedies, practicing yoga, and singing.