Address: Museum Rd, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
Sunday: 6–9PM
Monday: 6–9PM
Tuesday: 6–9PM
Wednesday: 6–9PM
Thursday: 6–9PM
Friday: 6–9PM
Saturday: 6–9PM
Merrideth Schaefer
One of my favorite things to do in the state of Florida! Until experiencing the bat house, I never fully appreciated bats. It's a really beautiful area to walk around beforehand, exploring Lake Alice, and the gardens. The big show however is the bats at sunset!
Loren Rogers
So cute and such a fun experience. They came out around dusk (like 20 minutes after sunset for us). There were SO MANY. They came out from both bat houses and the trees behind. The best spot to view seems to be in front of the middle and last bat house. They haven't really moved into the one on the left yet.
dx d
Arrived about an hour early. Walked down to see the beautiful chapel on the other side of the road. Architectural lines reminded me of Frank Lloyd Wright. Unusual spot so close to the water in back. After pondering the usual location walked back to the bats then took a look at the student garden next door. Was somewhat jealous my garden isn’t doing as well as theirs. A few benches are set up as a small public viewing area in front of the bat houses. As I sat down to wait I noticed a couple of hawks waiting on the fence enclosure to the bat houses. Looked like the hawks were waiting for a tasty bat snack. Apparently they didn’t get the memo not to hunt the bats because as soon as the early bird bats came out the hawks were on them like white on rice. Make note, hawks are faster than bats. After their snack they got back on the fence to await the second course. Bats swarm at dusk, the time between twilight and complete darkness or the time you better have your butt in the house for the night when you were a kid. They start coming out a few at a time then suddenly they are coming out in steady waves following each other in two directions headed for the same place. Thousands upon thousands. It’s nothing short of amazing to watch. Then it’s over. They are gone. And you’re left sitting there in awe of what you just witnessed.
Tyrone
The UF Bat Houses is home to hundreds of thousands of bats that emerge on warm evenings just after sunset in order to feed. It's a surreal experience. Free parking and you can go every night as long as it's not raining or super windy. Serious Batman vibes.....all that was missing was the soundtrack by Hans Zimmer! Highly recommend checking this out in person.
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Hang it high.
Severe weather will affect the bats' willingness to fly that night. Light rain or a quick cloudburst will delay their departure or reduce the numbers that leave the roost. A heavy storm will likely impact their night feeding schedule significantly.
Hi Rhonda - You could try contacting Lubee Bat Conservancy for info and recommendations on services that can help you with your bat population. They're a great local resource committed to bat education, conservation and research!
Must look up the proper cardinal direction to face the bat house with the sun and make sure it is over an area where the guano can fall to the ground and not be a nuisance.
There's an information kiosk there that explains how long it took to establish the population there. It was several years. Bats mostly eat insects, like gnats and mosquitoes. So it's hard to attract them to a bat house. But if you put one up, once bats start finding it, it will fill up.
Hi Rhonda - You could try contacting Lubee Bat Conservancy for info and recommendations on services that can help you with your bat population. They're a great local resource committed to bat education, conservation and research! Best to look into this now. Bat maternity season begins April 15 and runs through August 15. Exclusions of bat colonies must be completed before the season starts.
450,000 - 500,000
By the lake across from the bat houses, is the best place to see them fly, but from there you can't see them exit the houses. Be careful of Alligators at the lake. Sometimes they come up on the bank. Watch the child closely if you stand there.
New box should be installed adjacent for 2-3 weeks. Some bats will migrate to new box. Then remove the old box one hour after sunset.
They're there year round, but will only come out if it's warm enough ( I think above 65 degrees F).
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