Andrea found Frito in an open stairwell, hiding from the grackles that were stalking him like a pack of velociraptors.
She called us and watched over him until we arrived, saving him from a tragic end.
He was not injured, just a little disoriented and is eating and flying well in the aviary.
Soon to be released. Nice work Andrea!
Ball o’ Bats!
These Eastern red bat pups find their mum each morning, even though only two are still nursing. Orphan Michelle on top right has adopted the family!
In the wild, when pups start wrestling , as pups will, birds (especially grackles and bluejays) take notice and attack them. The mum is forced to fly off with all those heavy pups clinging to her. People find the exhausted mum and her pups in a ball and bring them to us. We give the pups a chance grow into self-sufficient young adults, hunting and drinking on the wing, before release, usually with a few weeks. What a privilege to get to share a bond with these amazing creatures, before they resume their wild and free lives!
Found a Bat?
Love this link from Bat Conservation Trust about How to Contain a Bat.
But here in Central Texas, call our Austin Bat Refuge Hotline at 512-695-4116 or 512-799-8847
http://www.bats.org.uk/pages/containingabat.html
Northern yellow – Southern yellow
Northern yellow female pup on left and a Southern yellow male pup on the right.
When full grown, the Northern yellow bat will be twice the size of the Southern.
When they are pups, the size is the same, but the color and texture of the fur distinguishes them.
The Northerns are sleeker and more blonde-colored. The Southerns are woolier and more olive-colored.
Eating practice
Catching prey is only half the battle! Bats still have to curl & kick to subdue their catch while flying. This eastern red male still needs to refine his technique!
Tri-colored bat hunting
One of our local species, the tri-colored bat is one of the smallest bats in North America. They are amazingly agile in the air and this one has no trouble beating the larger bats to the flying insects in the aviary.
Southern Yellow breakfast at The Refuge
It took forever to find this guy tucked against the ridge pole against the bright sky.
Glad we found you pup!
Friday Night Flights
Sweet, early (8:33 pm) emergence at Congress Avenue Bridge last night.
Come visit us at the Austin Bat Refuge table on Friday nights this summer!
Pups in good hands
If a bat’s hands are its wings (and they are!), then these pups are in good hands.
Love the way the mum embraces the pups in these photos.
Oldest pup of 30 in care
We keep all the bat families ID’d with varying types of marks, so we can track the 30 juveniles we have flying. This way we can make sure all pups are reunited with their mums in the morning to nurse through the day.
This pup is from the red bat family with yellow on their ears. Even though he flies well, he returns to his mum to nurse during the day. His two youngest brothers still do not fly, but soon all will be developing their hunting and drinking skills. Once they are all up to speed we’ll release each family together, at least that’s our preference. Sometimes the oldest and the mums get antsy and they let us know they are not willing to wait on the youngsters. We monitor them closely and release as they let us know they are ready.
