refuge

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.
bat rescue rehabilitation

Littlest pup after first flight!

Older pup

Pups have to watch out for the other flyers

bat rehabilitation rescue austin

Waiting for mum to return

austin bat rehabilitation rescue

The next morning mum roosted in the sun, we had to shade them

austin bat rehabilitation rescue

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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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Red Bats and Red Tomatoes!

“These tomatoes are almost as red as my fur! Looks like they are ready to be eaten!”- Gabe the red bat

This season’s garden is a hit! Our flight cage is bursting with summer colors as our cherry tomatoes ripen, and our eastern red bats enjoy pampering from volunteers. The garden growing within the flight cage offers a natural, and energized environment for our bats. By attracting moths, the garden allows bats to practice their predatory skills during flight. Offering bats in rehabilitation an opportunity to exercise behaviors that are necessary to survival in the wild make the flight cage and the bat garden an important part of our rehabilitation process. An appreciation for the summer crop is shared by the bats and also our volunteers, who enjoy snacking on sweet, refreshing cherry tomatoes while working hard in the summer heat

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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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Our first red bat pups of 2017!

Here we go!  First red bat pups of the year!
The official (and earliest ever) start of our busiest season.
Three weeks earlier than 2016; one week earlier than 2015; two and a half weeks earlier than 2014.

This red bat mum was rescued by Selma and although one of her wings is pretty torn up, the pups seem to be doing fine.  Great save Selma!
Here’s the best look we could get without disturbing her.


She’s been hanging by one foot and has her pups clenched to her breast with her tails wrapped around them.
Classic red bat pose!

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It’s in North Texas …. the fungus that causes White-nosed Syndrome

We’re obviously devastated by the news that the fungus that causes WNS has arrived in Texas.  We, like everyone else here, had hoped for a little more time, but we knew it was coming.  Although this is just the fungus, not yet the disease, we are nonetheless tweaking our rehabilitation protocols and stand ready to collaborate with state and federal agencies, and other Texas bat rehabilitators in monitoring and providing supportive care for Texas bats.
https://tpwd.texas.gov/newsmedia/releases/?req=20170323c&nrtype=all&nrspan=2017&nrsearch=

 

austin bat Texas bats WNS

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Texas Night Sky Festival 2017

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!

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Video of the Amplify Assembly – our PSA

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!

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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!

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