See + learn about Alabama bats with 'The Bat Lady' this Saturday

Four little brown bats in a colony in Pepperell, Massachusetts — Little brown bats are among 16 bat species in Alabama. (Troy Gipps, MassWildlife / Flickr / CC PDM 1.0)

Have you noticed that Halloween decorations have hit store shelves when we still have almost a full month of summer to go?

But since our backyards are still pretty buggy here in Alabama, what perfect timing to celebrate real bats versus all the cartoony ones we’ll see come the end of October.

One brown bat can eat 1,000 mosquito-sized insects per hour, says the USDA Forest Service. (And I say, “Thank you, little buddies!)

This Saturday, Aug. 23, you can learn a lot more interesting facts, see live bats and learn why they’re so important this weekend in Decatur at “Batty About Bats,” a presentation at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge by naturalist Vicky Smith, a.k.a. “The Bat Lady.” Read on for details.

‘The Bat Lady’ Vicky Smith

Environmental educator Vicky Smith, known as The Bat Lady and a popular speaker and presenter of "Batty About Bats" at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge on Saturday, Aug. 23. — (Vicky Smith)

The Friends of Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge group is sponsoring this Saturday’s inaugural “Batty About Bats!” event, which features Vicky Beckham Smith, owner of A-Z ANIMALS and a former educator for the Birmingham Zoo and Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge.

The group says Smith has been a longtime friend to the refuge and is one of the most popular speakers at the Festival of the Cranes in January. This program is her most requested and reaches thousands of people throughout the Southeast.

Bats in Alabama

bats sauta cave George Lee — Bats on a nightly flight after emerging from Sauta Cave near Scottsboro, Alabama (George Lee / Courtesy of Wheeler NWR)

Besides eating bugs—helping keep them off of us and our farmers’ crops—some bats are even plant pollinators. Even their droppings can provide important information about environmental changes over time.

ICYMI, Auburn University researchers discovered one of the largest bat guano cores in the world at Wheeler NWR.

Alabama is home to 16 different bat species of the 47 total, with three protected under the Endangered Species Act:

🦇 gray bats
🦇 Indiana bats
🦇 northern long-eared bats

In late 2022, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed adding a fourth, the tricolored bat, due to dwindling populations from a deadly disease called white-nose syndrome that impacts cave-dwelling bats.

What to expect at Batty About Bats

Bats Sauta Cave GL 4 — Gray bats emerging from Sauta Cave in Jackson County, Alabama. (George Lee / Courtesy of Wheeler NWR)

First, inside the Wheeler NWR Visitor Center, you’ll experience:

an informative + fun presentation
seeing mounted specimens + life-size silhouettes
watching several species of live bats (!!!), including big brown bats enjoy a meal
using ultrasonic devices to hear their calls

Then, there will be many crafts + activities:

Grab a pair of wings + bat mask to make photos at the Bat Photo Booth.
Compete for prizes in the bat flyer contest for different age groups, including kids + adults.
Make a bat from your handprint, a bat-shaped pencil topper and several other crafts.
Experience the weight of what a bat feels like in your hand.
Play a sorting game with imitations of bat food sources.

Know before you go

Exterior of the recently remodeled Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center on a sunny, blue-sky day, site of — The Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center reopened in 2023 after an extensive remodeling project. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

Batty About Bats with “The Bat Lady” Vicky Smith

When: Saturday, August 23, 2025, 1PM-2:30 PM
Where: Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, 3121 Visitors Center Road, Decatur, AL, 35603
Cost: FREE + no registration needed

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