The Bat Cave

One of the many interesting things I have learned about my village in the first two weeks is the bat cave. Each night, around 6:30 or so (I've seen them as early as 6:15 or as late as 6:37), thousands upon thousands of bats fly out of a cave along the rocky shoreline. They form an undulating stream against the sky, as they head down the coast to their feeding grounds. I've been told they are fruit bats that prefer to eat in the forests along the coast. [Look close and you can see them in the pictures below.]

It is an amazing sight to see as they all head out at once in a long, swirling, flittering line over the ocean. Unfortunately, my camera just can't seem to adequately pick up their small bodies against the vastness of the sky, even though human eyes are able to detect the moving masses. Last weekend we were even at the top of the hill overlooking the village one evening and were able to watch them fly across the horizon.

The steep cliffs and rocky shoreline make it difficult to get close to the bat cave, but there is at least one intrepid adventurer living in the village who has offered to take me there someday. He said it is amazing to shine your flashlight towards the ceiling and see thousands of them hanging upside down. I hope to check it out in the future.

He also claims to have one of the best gardens in the village, because he will collect the guano from the bat cave and bring back to use as fertilizer. I'm not sure I'm looking forward to that part of the trip.