I have been there and seen both several times. That attraction is on my agenda every time I am in the area, it is well worth the trip. The park has a very nice nature walk and its possible to photograph the tunnel entrance from the walk way. There are always very knowledgeable park personal there too.
I didn't know the history about those bat houses. Joe, Thanks for posting that. Mike > Visitors to Comfort are going batty and the seasonal emergence of more > than 3 million Mexican free-tailed bats and a historic bat roost are > the main attraction. > > Now owned by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the Old Tunnel > Wildlife Management Area, 13 miles north of Comfort, is home to the > bats. The abandoned railroad tunnel was built in 1913, and it has been > home to the bats since 1942. > > From May to October, visitors come to watch the bats emerge from the > tunnel each night, usually within an hour before or after sunset. Most > bats exit through the south end of the tunnel, spiraling in a > counter-clockwise direction to gain altitude over nearby trees. They > travel southeast toward the Guadalupe River. > > Bats exiting from the north end of the tunnel either travel north > toward the Pedernales River or south over the Old Tunnels observation > deck. > > * > Red-tailed hawks are sometimes seen feeding on the bats as they > emerge. The bats return to the tunnel between midnight and daybreak, > having traveled an average to 25 to 30 miles to forage. > > Comfort also is home to one of the states most unusual historical > landmarks - a bat roost. Years ago, the roosts were built in an > attempt to control malaria by encouraging the areas large bat > population to remain in the region and eat disease-spreading > mosquitoes. > > Then San Antonio mayor Albert Steves built the hygieostatic (which > means standing for health) bat roost in 1918 on family property in > Comfort. It was built according to plans developed by Dr. Charles A.R. > Campbell, physician and former health officer of San Antonio. > > Though it is located on private land about a mile and a half out of > town on FM 473, visitors can see the roost from the road. The 30-foot > high tower is on concrete piers and covered with shingles. > > Only 16 roosts are reported to have been built in the U.S. and Italy > between 1907 and 1929. The Comfort bat roost is apparently the last > survivor of seven roosts built in Texas and is the oldest of three > known to exist in the entire country. It is listed on the National > Register of Historic Places. > > For visitors interested in bat viewing, Comfort also offers many great > places for visitors to roost, from historic bed and breakfasts to > Victorian-era mansions and country cabins. > > For more information on the bat attractions and lodging, visit > www.comfortchamberofcommerce.com or call 830-995-3131. For bat > emergence times, contact the Old Tunnel Wildlife Management Area, > phone 1-866-978-2287. > > http://www.boernestar.com/articles/2009/06/02/news/comfort/doc4a243458 > 7e7de308604598.txt > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: > [email protected] For additional commands, > e-mail: [email protected] > --------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected] For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected]
