Sunset with the Bats 07/24/2025
Trip Cost: Free, but please register to attend
Join us at sunset as we watch hundreds, if not thousands, of bats come out of their man-made roosts to feed!
Compared to other places, we have many bat species living in and around Tucson. The most common are the Mexican free-tailed bats. Those roost in the thousands, and 99.9% of the time, if you guessed you saw a Mexican free-tailed bat fly out from beneath a bridge, you’d be correct.
The large roosts we see under the bridges are maternity roosts. The females arrive here in April already pregnant. Over the summer, the females give birth to their young – one pup per female in June or July. In the fall, usually around September, they fly back to Mexico with their offspring. In the meantime, the females and their pups come out around dusk to eat. With the sunset as a natural backdrop, it’s an amazing site to see. And we’ll be checking them out within minutes of Green Valley.
We’ll meet at the Photography Club upper-level parking lot at 5:45 PM for carpooling, departing at 6:15 PM. Comfortable shoes, water, a tripod and a folding chair are suggested. Please wear your GVR Photography Club or Camera Club badge, if available. For those carpooling, $2.00 is an appropriate contribution to the driver. We should arrive at the viewing site by 6:30 PM.
Upon arrival, you’ll have time to set up and get ready for nature’s amazing show. We never know precisely when the bats will start heading out, so we’ll be sure to get there in ample time. The tour should end shortly after dusk.
Tom Parker will be our trip leader. Contact Tom at 618-304-1456 or email at tparker324@aol.com with any questions. He will be disseminating more information to registered participants via e-mail as we get closer to the event.
Don’t forget to check out the Speaker Series presentation “Going Batty: The Exciting Night Life of Bats!!” by conservation biologist Karen Krebbs on July 18 at 2:00 pm at the Las Campanas Center Ocotillo-Agave Room.
GVR requires that every person participating in club's field trips must sign a waiver absolving GVR of any liability. You will be required to sign the waiver at the Photography club before the trip departs.
If you need to cancel, please contact Tom as soon as you know you cannot make the trip.
NOTICE:
All participants need to be responsible for an assessment of their mobility and health issues relating to field trips. Some trips may not be appropriate, but you must make that determination. However, the trip leader may deny participation in a specific field trip to anyone deemed not suitably prepared or able to walk with the group.
The club strives to provide several field trips specifically designed for members with physical limitations.
In order to participate in this event, you must be a member of the GVR Photography Club and GVR.
The GVR Photography Club is located in the Recreation Village of Santa Rita Springs.