Last week, I had a chance to return to Rose Cave (in Spring Valley) during peak migration. The Mexican free tailed bats were still pouring out of the cave. Throughout the summer, it was not uncommon for researchers to process over 1,000 individual bats a night. It's exciting to learn more about these valuable mammals....
The hike up to the cave is always an adventure!
Standing at the entrance of the cave, you can hear the beating wings and whooshing of air.....
Video of inside cave:
Bats fly into the harp trap. Numbers build up as the researchers process them. The process involves checking individuals age, sex, and reproductive status. A small numeral band is gently placed on the wing.....
Video of harp trap:
I'm always in awe of watching these creatures fly out in such large numbers under the setting sun.
This sight never gets old.......
Video:
Researchers take data as each bat is processed. There's a good energy here! Haha
Video checking reproductive status:
The work continued as the sun set and the sky darkened.
The crew has a great system set up that tasks run smoothly and efficiently.....
Bat being released into the night sky........
Video of bat release:
The moon was too bright for night sky photography, but I did my best. It was great to take in the sights and sounds of the evening. Maybe not the smell haha. There's a huge pile of guano piled up under those thousands of bats! But, it's not bad enough to deter me from visiting again :)
*Special thanks to my mom who watched our kids while we made a great escape for the evening :)
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Click Here) to see my blog post from Rose Cave last year.
