BatFest 2010!

Several weeks ago, I picked up a brochure for Lincoln Caverns. Listed inside was an event called BatFest. And, of course, I decided that I wanted to go! Isn't that the logical response to seeing a brochure?


But, I couldn't go by myself with the Heathens. That wouldn't be nearly enough fun. So, I invited two additional families. The first family to agree to join us was the Thornton clan. They and their Knuckleheads accompanied us on our adventure to New York City in November. We were also joined by the Williamson clan. Their clan consists of a boy, age 8, and twin girls, age 6. Mama Williamson joined us, while Daddy Williamson is deployed with the military.

BatFest was limited to 50 people - and I provided 13! Those poor unsuspecting people at the cavern...

The event was 5 hours. It included crafts, games, information sessions with wildlife experts, and tours of two separate caves.

These two bats are Buffy and Bernice. They came with the wildlife rehabilitation speaker. They are both "small brown bats" - literally. Apparently, whomever named them was not feeling very inventive that day. Don't confuse them with the "large brown bats" that are only an inch longer.

Finding the bats inside the cave was not a easy as you would think! The crazy things are really small, the same color as the rocks, and they like to hide around corners. Here were two that we managed to see that were in good photo spots.

This little guy is a "small brown bat" that is covered in water droplets. The coating of water droplets lets you know that he has been hibernating for a while.

This little guy is called a "tri-color bat" and is noticably different because of the visible pink arms. Both of these bats are less than 3 inches long.

We had a fantastic day!