Dusk falls
At Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Where many tourists wait
In the amphitheater
Waiting
For a clicking sound
After mere minutes
A scratching hissing static
And then semi silence
As they appear
A small black blur
Swarms round and round
Swirling a few times
Like a tornado in
Front of the cave
Before veering off
To the right
Flying across the desert to
Feed for the night
On bugs and moths
By the rivers
Of the Southwest.
This repeats until
All of the Mexican free tail bats
Numbering in the thousands
Have flown from
Their daily roost.
What a spectacular sight!