Little Brown Bats nestling together on a rock wall. Photo courtesy of WDNR.

Our Bats and Birds event is back! For all the early-birds, night-owls, and curious souls interested in learning more about nocturnal flying creatures, followed by early morning birding!

We’ll meet about an hour before sunrise, sit and quietly watch the bats during their swarm, and then take a birding walk on the trail. WDNR Conservation Biologist, Heather Kaarakka will join us and answer your burning bat questions.  

Pack up a folding chair and bins and join us early at Cross Plains Ice Age Trail (under 15 minutes from West Towne Mall in Madison) for a pre-dawn bat swarm watch and a morning birding walk!

Birds and bats might not seem like a natural combination but there is a special hour around sunrise when the two different creatures overlap. Before sunrise, bats need to decide on a roost for the day so they display a magical flurry of activity as they fly in and out of their bat house. In the dim just before the sunrise, the bats disappear into their roost and the birds take over insect-eating duty for the day. Learn more about the importance of and how to protect Wisconsin’s bats!

What to Expect

• We will walk up the hill to the barn where the bats are shortly after meeting. (In case folks are late, they know how to find us)

• We have both adult- and kid-sized binoculars available to borrow during club events! We’ll bring the “bins”.

Attendees should plan to bring:

• Folding chair

• Insect repellent

• Light jacket in case it’s chilly

Location

Meet at lower parking lot for the Ice Age Trail Cross Plains interpretive site, we’ll meet in the parking lot. This location is less than 15 minutes from West Towne Mall in Madison!

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