Spectators wait for bats to emerge from the Selman Bat Cave near Freedom. [PHOTO PROVIDED BY ODWC]

Registration to attend the annual Selman Bat Watches at the Selman Bat Cave Wildlife Management Area near Freedom opens Tuesday.

Sponsored by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, there will be eight weekend bat watches during the summer beginning July 6.

Mexican free-tailed bats congregate each summer at the cave to give birth. Each night, the bats leave the cave to hunt for flying insects, forming a ribbon over the spectators.

"The nightly emergence typically lasts just over one hour and is incredible to watch," said Melynda Hickman, bat watch coordinator.