Summer
sunsets bring cooler temperatures to the people who make their homes in the hot
Sonoran Desert. It is the time each day to again safely emerge back into the
out-of-doors to take a walk, an evening visit to the closest ice cream store or
even to take the whole family to a drive-in movie over at the ol’ Scottsdale
Six. Yet for those looking for a
different summer adventure, say a wildlife adventure, then summer sunsets are
the perfect times to watch the nightly explosion of Mexican free-tailed bats
returning to their nightly hunting territory in the desert sky.
A
total of twenty-eight species of bats occur in Arizona, but the free-tailed is
one of the most common. With a body length of 3 to 5 inches and a wingspan up
to 12 inches, these dark brown bats form huge colonies in caves and under
bridges and culverts found in the urban environment. Each evening they re-enter the sky to feed on literally tons
of moths, mosquitoes and other night flying insects. Each June, the female Mexican free-tailed bat gives birth to
a single pup.
The
Arizona Fish & Game Department has created an ideal urban bat-viewing area
for the Arizona public near the intersection of Camelback Road and 40th
Street right next to the office complex at 5080 North 40th
Street. Here, just 20 yards west
of the parking garage, and 20 feet north of the Arizona Canal, is a large flood
control tunnel that is ground zero each summer evening for the Mexican
fee-tailed bats’ nightly rush back into the night time sky.
Special bat-viewing signs
teach urban visitors about their wildlife neighbors hoping to help Valley
residents to learn to co-exist with our urban wildlife and to create more
chances to learn in and about the Arizona out-of-doors. This special viewing area was built
using Arizona Heritage Funds.
The
Camelback Road and 40th Street area have many wonderful restaurants
including Chelsea’s, located right near the Camelback & 40th
Street intersection. Dinner at
Chelsea’s and a Mexican fee-tailed bat show at sunset; now that is a special
way to spend a Sonoran Desert summer evening.
The
GPS coordinates of the Arizona Game and Fish bat viewing area are N33° 26.870¢ W112°05.590¢. For more information about Arizona
bats, visit the following web site www.azgfd.gov/w_c/urban_bats.shtml .
No comments:
Post a Comment