Rescue & Release

D-Day pup

This pup (D-Day) found himself on the wrong side of Congress Avenue Bridge on June 6th.  Dianne, on her rebirth day, was called by a worried tourist and went down and belly crawled under the railing to rescue him.  He probably crawled out  of his crevice looking for a mum that got picked off by a predator.  He was born a little early (average date of birth for free-tails is June 10th and he was likely born in late May) but lots of pups were 2-3 weeks early this year.  We’ll do our best for this little guy and hopefully release him back at the bridge once he’s graduated from ABR Flight School!

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Pups of the Season

Left to right: Evening bat male, red bat female, Seminole bat male

These pups should all still be with their mums and they know it.  The bat milk replacer doesn’t taste the same and the mealworm guts are interesting, but not what they really want.  They would normally be getting a taste of insects at this age by nuzzling their mum’s mouth, and they seem to need the supplemental nutrition with the milk replacers we use. Once they eat some guts, they end up with the worm in their mouths as a pacifier and pretty much just zone out.  See video below:

austin bat atx bats

Sometimes they tilt their heads back like a raccoon eating a grape!

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The Joy of First Flight!

This evening bat pup was our first pup of the year, arriving as a one-week-old, found by Jordan Van Der Hayden in an ant bed, on 03May2017.
Three weeks later he is now flying confidently around the aviary, brimming with the joy of life!

Just a few days ago he was stretching his wings, doing pushups to gain strength, and we held him just far enough from his roosts to make him stretch to get back home.  Holding him further away the next night caused him to spread those wings and flutter the 8 inches back.  The next time we did it he surprised us by doubling back and flying a wobbly 55 feet to the opposite end of the cage!  But last night he flew beautifully and for quite a long time.
Next he has to learn to drink on the wing from our pools and catch moths under the blacklight and then he can start his new life as a wild and free bat!

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First pups of 2017

First pups of 2017!  Two weeks earlier than ever!
Evening bat mum munches a mealworm while her pup nuzzles her.
She sustained wing injuries that grounded her and they suffered ant bites before being rescued.
No small thing to rescue a ball of angry bats covered in ants!  You’re a hero Jordan!

The red light is used to minimize stress.

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Renee’s pup

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!

Austin bat rescue refuge rehabilitation

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Soft Release – Mexican free-tailed bat

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!

free-tailed bat austin bat

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The free-tailed bats are back in Austin!

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.
bat from bat house

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Our first Amplify Austin a big success!

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.

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Thanks to all our 2017 Bat Angels:
Bridget Robinson, Margret Hill, Fabiola Campos, Amanda Irwin, Nancy Ballard, Dean Wolf, Jennifer Whale, Amber Cho, Kate Asaff, Jodi Bade, Jenny Holt, Shelley Hodges, Theresa Waller, Christine Miller, Susan Brooks, Matthew Putzi, Katie Fike, Cindy Bogard, Laura Rayburn, Martin Selbrede, Rebecca Neel, Anne Zabolio, Monica Donner, Shanna Bogaty, Lauren Suspensky,  Betty Thoene, Ellie Watson, Carmen Garcia, Rory Hertzfeld, Michele Durovec, Dixie Davis, Deborah Daues, Christie Gardner, Robbie Nelson, Debbie Zent, Steve Reddick, Stephanie McCurley, and you seven anonymous secret bat admirers.
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Kindness Is Everything

The Flood family just became new members of the bat protection squad!
Thanks y’all for your act of compassion!

Here’s their post:

“We rescued this darling little Mexican Free-tailed bat earlier this evening as he was grounded in the middle of the road and nearly hit by several passing cars. We brought him home and called Lee and Diane at Austin Bat Refuge…they took him in and knew just what to do! 💕 Thankfully he had no broken bones and he seemed to be very healthy. Afer some TLC from Lee and Diane @ Austin Bat Refuge, it sounds like he’s going to be ok and will most likely be released back into the wild! 😊So thankful to them for all they do for these little guys… 💕If you ever find a grounded or injured bat, make sure to give them a call….and donate if you can! They have the biggest hearts for these little guys and do so much to house and care for the injured bats. Good people!!! Good cause!!! “

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Cold-stunned bats Released!

The strongest cold front in years blew through last week and bats in Austin suffered through the cold and windy nights.  Many fell, cold-stunned out of their roosts.  But kind-hearted people safely contained some and brought them to us for thawing, some bats every day for a week!  We filled their bellies with tasty mealworms and had the pleasure of sharing some Holiday spirit with them.   And last night it was finally warm enough to release many of them.
This little guy is your bat Jocelyn.  He’s a great bat and he would have died if you hadn’t cared enough to rescue him.  Thank You!
And thanks to Christie, Christina, Giselle, and Natalie stopping and taking the time to care for those bats you saved.  You are Heroes!

austin bat rescue release

Here’s Natalie’s bat flying off into the night to join the few thousand others overwintering under the Congress Avenue Bridge.
austin bat rescue release

 

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