Myotis velifer
A lovely Cave myotis (Myotis velifer) – soon to be released!
Congress Avenue Bridge
Frito the Free-tailed Bat
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
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!
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!
26 West pup
This evening bat pup had been hanging low on a wall for a day and a half over in West Campus UT. He was brought to us to make sure he’s OK and we marked his ear with some yellow eyeshadow . He is only half the size of an adult, but foraging on his own and here we see him practicing his drinking skills. He made around ten passes over the drinking pond, slowly calibrating his approach, getting closer and closer each time and eventually getting two or three gulps of water.
We’ll give him about a week of practice, then set him on his way in a more wooded area where he’ll find an evening bat roost in a hollow tree. He found the other evening bats in our bat box easily enough, so we’re sure he’ll do the same in the wild.
What a cool little bat! Thanks to Rachel Ellerd and Carin Peterson of UT Animal Make-Safe
Late Last Night
Love the wing shape in this photo of an eastern red pup (17-79) brought to us by Adam Warren from Silver Dale in SW Austin
Lots of action in the flight cage last night!
This bat is curling up on a moth it just caught, rolling it into its tail membrane and kicking it to subdue and eat it. All of this done while flying and scarcely missing a beat.
A closeup of that shot
Adam’s bat showing his chops
Pretty wing conformation on this tri-colored bat.
Here’s another bat curling up on a moth. Lots of action under the blacklight!
This Barred Owl juvy was raised nearby and we’re trying to run him off. Way easier said than done. 
Finally got him to go, but grudgingly and he’ll probably be back before the night is through. At least the pups will recognize a predator the next time they see one. For many bat pups, the firs time they see an owl is the last time they see anything, so we’re glad ours get another chance.
In the morning, pups were scattered all over the place, this one right out in the open. He is the first of Laurie’s pups to fly off on his own. The mum flew off with the others still on her. We found her and reunited them so they could snuggle through the day.
These pups are trying to look like just another dead leaf.
Here’s Laurie’s mum with her pups on her, but with Alvaro and Michelle trying to adopt her. We got them all straightened out, reunited the family, fed and watered all for the day. What a night!
39 intakes 2 weeks!
We just took in our 103rd bat of the year, 39 of which came to us in the last 2 weeks.
June is always crazy around here and this year is no exception.
We’ve had bats of seven species this month; northern yellows, southern yellows, Seminoles, eastern reds, free-tails, velifers, and evening bats.
It’s crazy, exhausting, and exhilarating work. But what a priviledge and an honor to be able to give these pups a second chance at life.
Dripping reds
This red bat family was found grounded in the middle of a side-street in Dripping Springs. The young single-mum was a pup herself just last summer and she may have been struggling to feed and manage her young family. She was emaciated, and was so lucky that Jacque spotted her before the grackles or bluejays did. Nice save Jacque! She and the pups have been rehydrated and their bellies filled and are now having a snooze at the top of the aviary. She knows she and her pups are safe for now.
That night the mum flew and the pups watched her for a while, then the bigger pup joined her. The little pup felt pretty lonesome and after a while took her very first flight. Both pups negotiated all the other flying bats and landed successfully at the top of the cage. By morning they had found mum and the whole family was snoozing together once it got light.
Littlest pup after first flight!
Older pup
Pups have to watch out for the other flyers
Waiting for mum to return
The next morning mum roosted in the sun, we had to shade them
