Selman Bat watch 2017
July 2017

Every year the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) hosts in the month of July the 'Selman Bat Watch' where people can sign up and attend a 4 hour program and eventually watch a million Mexican Free Tail bats emerge into the evening sky on their search for food. I have been a volunteer for ODWC now going into my 21st year with this project. Click on any photo to see an enlarged version.
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We start by meeting at Alabaster Caverns State Park and giving everyone an orientation to the site and educate them on Mexican Free Tail Bats.	Melinda Hickman (ODWC) is the biologist in charge and has Mike Caywood (manager of Alabaster Caverns) as right hand man.	After orientation we board school busses and travel about 10 miles out to the site.
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There the people can sit and wait for the emergence of the bats or take a small loop tour of the enviroment of the grasslands in this area.	When the bats emerge they streamline in a smoke pattern and usually fly right above us.	The cave is about 1/4 mile away. We don't get too close as the guano in the cave can cause respiratory distress to some.
A 21 meg movie is available of the bat flight - it takes about 30 seconds to load Click here to view the movie in another window	SBW 2017 g.JPG
	Usually about 30 minutes of flight (and light) until darkness. The bats fly out for an additional hour but it is too dark to see them.
Click on any photo to see an enlarged version.

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Last updated: 1/3/18