So we have bats in our bat box! But all that activity caught the attention of a serious customer.
The local Barred Owl flew up and landed on top of the upper, uninhabited box.
I have a feeling our bats will be moving on to safer digs.
Renee found this bat on 11Mar2017 near her front porch in the rain, weak and not moving. We hand fed him for eight days to build up his strength and last night he took his first few flights in the aviary. He was out of practice and not real strong that night, but tonight he did much better, even took a few drinks on the wing! He should be ready to go soon!
We had a blast at the Texas Night Sky Festival on Saturday March 18th.
We met so many people and introduced them all to Buffy, Gabe, Freida, and Nikita.
It was so much fun to see all those smiling faces.
Thanks Kyndal Irwin for spending the last day of SXSW with us out in Dripping Springs!
You were so great with all those kids! We’re proud to know you!
We are so happy to be a part of the wonderful Austin non-profit community!
Here is a great overview of all the creative organizations making a difference in the Austin area.
And our PSA by bat caregiver Kyndal Irwin is the second one, at the 10 minute mark of this 2 hour video, just before Rebecca Campbell with the Austin Film Society!
This little freebie male is one of 8 intakes this week and he’s been showing great flight skills in the aviary. We finally found him roosting with Taz the cave myotis and fed him full with bugs. This video shows him heading up into the bat box for soft-release. There is backup food and water and even lots of company with the wild freetails that have taken to the box this spring.
So go with God little bat; you were lots of fun! Live and long and happy life!
Even with the Doppler radar out of commission, we know the free-tails are back because the phone’s been ringing off the hook all week! First-year pups returning from Mexico are ending up in unexpected places. This cutie was rescued from a downtown Austin office ceiling by Chantal. He’s fine, just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Check out those feet! He’s got whiskers between his toes and brushes on the sides.
Talk about bats getting in unexpected places, we even have some in our bat box! We thought it would never happen! This is the first time we’ve had bats since it was put up five years ago! They are super fast coming out of the box; this photo just barely caught one leaving.
Thank you donors! Our first Amplify Austin campaign was a big success! Thanks so much to all those who exemplified the “I Live Here, I Give Here” spirit, especially Individual Fundraiser Kyndal Irwin. Together we provided half a year’s food for Austin’s bats in need.
Evening bat. This time she took a big scoop of water. Sometimes she just grazes the surface and has to stick her tongue down for a lick. We love early evening in the flight cage!
For the second consecutive night, Mexican free-tailed bats leave the Sierras and head to Eagle Pass, then up to the Uvalde area.
Frio Bat Cave (outside Uvalde) had it’s first large emergence of the year the next night.
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True to her name this evening bat was out picking off moths well before dark. Injuries made her just a little too slow to make it in the wild, but she loves hunting the flight cage!
