Those Aren't Birds!

[Basquo]

I was enjoying a late dinner; usually, I’ve got the curtains drawn and I’m getting ready for bed around sunset in the summer.

I looked out the window, and thought, “My!  Look at all the birds!  Where are they going at this time of day?  They should have already roosted.”

Then I remembered: the BATS!  I live about 4 blocks from the largest urban bat colony in either the Western or Northern hemisphere, can’t remember which it is. And in the three months since they’ve been back from Mexico, I hadn’t seen them yet!  I can hear and smell them when I walk along the lake, but I was thrilled that they fly so close to my home now.

It makes sense now that I live close to a major body of water but I’ve yet to see one mosquito this year.

All of the ones flying tonight are moms, all 750,000 of them.  Austin is a nursing colony, so they come from Mexico pregnant. By mid-August, the babies will be flying, so then we’ll have at least 1.5 million bats around until November.


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[anniebc]

That must have been a beautiful sight to see..lucky you, I hope you get some good photo's when the babies take flight.

so they come from Mexico pregnant

Thank God I'm too old to play up and I'm passed the child bearing age that's all I can say..

Big hugs
Jan

[fearless]

Beautiful Basquo,
If you ever come to Sydney let me know, and I'll show you mine 

[GSOgymrat]

Very cool! I love bats. It's fun to throw a rock in their direction and watch them twirl.

[BT65]

I have no desire to have bats flying around me when I'm outside; but, to each his own.

[aztecan]

As you know, I love bats.

I am not especially fond of having them indoors, but, at least it is amusing watching my try to shoo them out the door.

We have big-eared bats here.

I have a bat house set up in my back yard.

Oh Creighton, had I known you were a wildlife lover I would never have let you go back to Texas.

HUGS,

Mark

[Robert]

wow....that's incredible.  What great pictures.  I've never seen such a thing.

[RapidRod]

Creighton, is that where they stay under the bridge and people gather at sunset to watch them take flight?  If so, that has been shown on TV. Don’t go down there if you have a low CD4, histo breeding ground. You took some great pics.

Rodney

[Basquo]

Creighton, is that where they stay under the bridge and people gather at sunset to watch them take flight?  If so, that has been shown on TV. Don’t go down there if you have a low CD4, histo breeding ground. You took some great pics.

Rodney

That's the bridge--formerly the Congress Avenue Bridge over Town Lake, now known as the Ann Richards Bridge over Lady Bird Lake. It's about 6 walking blocks from my place, but only 3-4 blocks if you swim (not recommended) or kayak (recommended.)

[minismom]

My parents have bats that live under the rafters.  We love to sit outside at night and watch them fly out to feed.  Poor mom doesn't, however, like cleaning off all the patio furniture every morning.  There was one unfortunate bat that got in the house and knocked silly by the ceiling fans.

Great picture!

Mum

[Oceanbeach]

Here on the Russian River, we do not really have a lot of bats.  I suppose in the rafters but we have an annual Big Bear Weekend and men fly in from around the world.  We also have Women's Weekend when women fly in from around the world.  We don't have a bat weekend

I do remember having a panic attack because a bat flew into my house through an open window.  I had just read Interview with a Vampire and I was running around the house with a tennis racket trying to heard it out the window.  That is probably the last day I looked at country living as attractive over the city.     Have the best day
Michael