watch the bats fly out of Carlsbad Caverns

I love that area of the country, maybe i can take a side trip from my NM trips to see the bats…

I have driven to the cave two times..walked it all the way through both times. Like another World. At the end of the day watching the thousands of bats come out was at the time I saw them…decades ago… I could not really comprehend what I was seeing.

I even experienced a Bat falling down at my feet! Now with education about Bats..to know all the things they do for us; they are so needed and amazing little critters.

For an extra bit of info: I like Bats. But, I got bit by one this year, when I reached inside of my chimney to find the flue. PS Rabies shots don’t hurt a bit.

If you are in the area of Carlsbad make sure this is something you do in your lifetime!

Distant bats resembled a smoke plume.

The person who discovered Carlsbad Caverns had mistaken the bats leaving at dusk for a plume of smoke – and thought he had discovered a volcano. This is a longish (1/10 second) exposure that gives a sense of a smoke plume – for shorter exposure and clearer shots see the nearby photos in my stream. [IMG_5243-bats]

My dad and I saw it in the summer of 1982 while spending several days together in West Texas. We also visited Marfa (but didn’t see the lights), ate buttermilk pie at Fort Davis (a wonderful experience), and toured the main caverns (in New Mexico, not Tx) the next day.

a couple different times with my parents when I was a kid. One of the attractions is an ampitheater just outside the mouth of the cave where people gather at dusk to watch the bats (many, many, many bats) leave. My parents never wanted to stick around for that, so naturally, I didn’t get to either. But someday, I will.