hey little bat!

My husband and I visited the bats once again last Friday night. We arrived a bit late - the "vortex" was there, but I think the majority of bats had already emerged, so it wasn't quite as spectacular as the time we went a couple of months ago (didn't post anything on that). During that time, we did observe an incredible vortex of bats and a tremendous, steady stream of them as they emerged from the vortex. It really was an amazing sight to behold! Here are some shots of the surrounding scenery, the dandelion fountain, and the bridge... "The Waugh Bridge Bat Colony" (hlb 5-2-10) "Waugh Bridge Bat Colony Pontoon Boat Tour" (hlb 6-15-09) Buffalo Bayou's Waugh Bridge Bat Colony The Waugh Bat Monitor

Location Trails run along Buffalo Bayou, in between Memorial Drive and Allen Parkway, from Shepherd Drive in the west to Bagby Street in the east. Buffalo Bayou on Google Maps Trail To me as a mountain bike beginner, aside from a few "steep" hills and a couple of sandy parts that are pretty slippery, this trail is easy. The circuit is a little over 6 miles long. Most of the trail is not shaded, so use sunscreen. Crowd Midday Sunday in the summer doesn't seem to be that crowded, nor as hot as one would think. Weekday evenings tend to be fairly crowded. On a bike this means a lot of maneuvering around walkers, joggers, and dogs. Parking Ample parking is available in the lots to the side of Sabine Street Lofts, off of Memorial Drive. There is also the Eleanor Tinsley parking lot off of Allen Parkway. Interesting Notes: Along this trail, you will cross paths with the Waugh Bridge Bat Colony. You'll know it when you start smelling the guano. If you take the trail all the w...

I thought it was going to be way too hot to bike in Houston during the summer. This is why I wanted to hold off getting our bikes until the fall. However, a couple of weeks ago, my husband and I had gone to Memorial Park to see what the trails would be like, and we were pleasantly surprised. As we entered the woods, both of us had that feeling that we were camping. The part that we walked (the entrance was to the left of a baseball field) was completely shaded, so it actually felt very nice, despite it being 95+ that day. This is where I became sold and gave in (after poor Nick wanting to get bikes for several months now!) I will say that I want to become very familiar with my bike before attempting this trail, as we saw some pretty steep and narrow parts. We took our first ride yesterday on the Buffalo Bayou trails. It was a lot of fun! We loaded up our Camelbacks with ice and water and brought along some dried fruit and nuts. Had plenty of sunscreen because the majority of this tra...

This past Friday evening we went on the Waugh Bridge Bat Colony Pontoon Boat Tour on Buffalo Bayou. It departs near the Sabine Promenade then takes you near the Waugh bridge and stays there so that you can see the bats emergence from below. When it's over, the boat takes you back to where you started. As you wait for the bats departure, volunteers give you some information about the colony. A specimen and photos are handed around. These volunteers also record data, like times of emergence and weather conditions. As sunset approaches, more and more bats come out of the crevices underneath the bridge - the expansion joints are the perfect size for Mexican Free-Tailed Bats ( Tadarida brasiliensis ) . At first they just fly around underneath the bridge. Some speculate that they do this as a kind of exercise, as a prelude to their nightly flight. Others speculate that the first bats that come out are scouting out the conditions and any potential threats. They will sometimes create a vor...

Again, these were taken with my point-and-shoot camera set to HI ISO. They're not spectacular, but I was happy to capture at least something without using a flash, which I don't think you should do at a zoo, especially for the nocturnal animals. Anyway, this is a great exhibit. You can really observe a lot of interesting bat behavior. Fruit bats , also known as flying foxes or megabats, have sweet faces and rely on sight and smell, not echolocation for navigation and foraging (the exception being the Egyptian Fruit Bat). Some eat fruit, aiding in seed dispersal; others drink nectar, actually pollinating the plants. Although not all megabats are necessarily large (the smallest is only 2-3 inches), the largest of the flying foxes reaches a wingspan of 6 feet! The bats at the Houston Zoo (shown above) are Straw-Colored Fruit Bats (Eidolon helvum). Houston Zoo Fruit Bat video BCI's Flying Foxes

After two failed attempts to go to the Houston Zoo on the weekend with Nick (it was perfect weather both times so everyone wanted to be there and there was absolutely no place to park!) I finally made it there with my mom last week. Of course, the parking situation didn't seem much better - school buses were taking up half the parking lot and cars the rest. It only dawned on us why this was when we got up to the entrance, after miles of walking, and saw the huge Earth Day banner. Oh, yeah! The place that we parked had a 3 hour time limit, so we had to get moving. (And I had to get cottoncandy! I'm not a huge fan of sweets but pure sugar in cloud-like form is still heavenly to me. And I eat it like there's no tomorrow! Hence the tummy-ache.) We managed to see quite a bit. Wake Up, Toby! The "world's cutest animal" is always napping! (Because Red Pandas , also known as firefoxes, are crepuscular, or most active at dawn and dusk.) I went again with Nick a few d...

photo by Dale Martin How neat is that? Houston plays host to its own urban bat colony! I had discovered it upon moving back to Houston's inner loop, after 4 years in New York. Exiting Waugh from Memorial Drive, I noticed a sign for the Waugh Bridge Bat Colony. I got home and googled it and found out the colony of 250,000-300,000 insect-eating Mexican free-tailed bats took up residence under the bridge in 1993. Unlike most other Texas bat colonies that migrate to warmer climates in winter, these little critters stay here year round. Though it's said they don't come out if the temperature goes below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. I will be writing more on this topic in upcoming posts, but meanwhile you can read more at the following sites: The Waugh Bat Monitor Buffalo Bayou Partnership Houston Parks and Recreation