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Post by BearCreekLapidary on May 3, 2005 18:35:16 GMT -5
Hello again, I got the photo's ready for the "flight of the bats" at Carlsbad Caverns. There were some 300,000 to 350,000 bats that were estimated to be in flight the night we were there. The actual flight started at sundown and lasted well into the night ... long after the sun had set. If you were quiet ... you could hear the bats wings flapping all around you ... it was great! The first photo is of the Amplitheater where the bats exited the caverns and went on their way to forage for food. The park ranger told us that these tiny bats ate up to 4,000 pounds of insects each and every night. Enjoy the photos ...          What appears to be light clouds in the far distance of the later photos ... are thousands of bats flying in groups, away from the caverns. The bats have been sighted as far away as 35 miles from the caverns ... making their nightly travels to an approximate 70 miles or better in one evening! Truly amazing creatures! Hope you enjoy the photos. John |
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Post by krazydiamond on May 3, 2005 19:00:04 GMT -5
2 tons of insects A DAY? that's a LOT OF BUGS! no wonder the little guys have to go far afield to eat their dinner.
glad you didn't get "guano-ed upon"..
bats are cool but that many is a little creepy. but always enjoy the photos, Bear, very cool!
KD
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JKowalski33
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2004
Posts: 451
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Post by JKowalski33 on May 3, 2005 19:14:41 GMT -5
how do they get about the food consumption estimates like that anyways? that is so cool, i like how the bats fly in little streams, it looks like river of bats in the sky if you know what i mean ;D
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Post by Cher on May 3, 2005 19:21:44 GMT -5
Now that is just weird ... lol. I don't mind bats, even like a few around to help keep the mosquitos down but I don't know if I could handle having 30,000 of them rushing out of the cave at one time. Really cool pics though John, you done good with them.
Cher
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Post by cookie3rocks on May 3, 2005 19:30:22 GMT -5
I saw a similar sight in Austin, TX. It is spectacular, isn't it? Were they echo locating while you were there? That's a strange thing to hear. Bizzare=beautiful in nature, don't you think?
cookie
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Post by sandsman1 on May 3, 2005 21:25:28 GMT -5
hey john what a thing to see ,, great pics man i can just amagine the sound of all the wings and prob little chirps from them
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WyckedWyre
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since April 2007
Posts: 1,391
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Post by WyckedWyre on May 3, 2005 22:24:19 GMT -5
The bats are amazing. You can smell and hear them before you can see them. They smell weird, musky/perfumey. They don't make any sounds audible to the human ear, other than the faint flapping of their wings. Actually, I believe a rancher's curiosity about the bats (he thought they were smoke) led to the discovery of the entrance of the cave. There are still "undeveloped" sections of the cave that you can explore w/ helmets, ropes and lights, but they steer you away from the bat roosts. So when are you moving to NM, John?  S www.carlsbad.caverns.national-park.com |
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Post by creativeminded on May 4, 2005 13:21:02 GMT -5
Another interesting tid-bit about the bats is when they come out of the cave they fly in a circle out of the cave clockwise and when they return if I remember right they fly in counterclockwise.
Tami
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Post by rockyraccoon on May 4, 2005 14:02:08 GMT -5
very cool pics john.
long as they don't get on me i'd be fine. if they get on me everybody for miles around would know about it.
bats do make an audible squeaking sound. they can't see well (blind as a bat) so they use sound to locate insects to eat and to not bump into things. if the sound bounces off of something they go around it or eat it depending on how the sound returned to them. and i'll be glad to bounce some sound back to them if they get too close lol.
kim
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Post by nepherite on May 4, 2005 16:13:59 GMT -5
Pretty creepy, i hope you had something wrapped around your neck !
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Post by creativeminded on May 4, 2005 22:10:03 GMT -5
Don't worry they aren't vampire bats, I think they are called fruit tail bats and they only eat insects.
While I was living there they had found an albino cave sparrow.
Tami
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