Austin Texas Homes

One of the most amazing sights in Austin takes place every evening around sunset. Mexican free-tailed bats materialize in a black cloud from under the Congress Avenue Bridge.

During the months of March and April, thousands of bats migrate to the Congress Avenue Bridge. Most of these are female and pregnant. By the end of season, there are approximately 1.5 million bats! Austin is home to the largest urban bat colony in North America for the past two decades.

Bats are everywhere but in 1980 when the Congress Avenue Bridge underwent renovations, the Mexican free-tailed bats found their favorite place to hang out. The narrow and deep openings under the bridge make a perfect place for bats to live.

Bat watching has become a favorite pastime in Austin and a unique sightseeing adventure for tourists. The best time to bat-watch is in August when the bat pups are ready to go forging with their mothers. Bats usually come about 8:00 – 8:30 p.m. but since they don’t have an alarm clock it could even be a little earlier or later. Austin provides a Bat Hotline that you can call for each evenings expected flight times. (Bat Hotline at 416-5700 ext. 3636). You can view the bats from many locations along Town Lake as well as the sidewalks around the bridge itself. Other hot spots are the Austin American-Statesman public viewing area located on the southeast end of Congress Avenue, The Shoreline Bar & Grill, The Four Seasons Hotel and The Radisson Hotel. There are even bat-watching cruises!

Bat-Watching Do’s:
>Bring an umbrella if you are in the flight pattern; but not for rain!
>If you chose to view from the Town Lake, bring a blanket and refreshments
>If you chose a restaurant – check to see if reservations are necessary – bat-watching is very popular event.

Bat-Watching Don’ts:
>Pedestrians -Watch where your walking – not where the bats are flying
>Drivers – Keep your eyes on the road
>Never touch a bat. If by some weird event a bat would be close enough to touch – Don’t!

Bat Facts:
>Bats emerge from their dwellings at speeds of about 35 miles an hour.
>In flight, bats travel between 40 and 60 miles an hour.
>Bats consume from 10,000 to 30,000 pounds of insects each night. Bats consume what is equivalent to their own body weight.
>Bat colonies are biggest congregations of mammals in the world.
>The largest non-urban colony is located north of San Antonio at Bracken Cave with an estimated 20 million bats.
>Bracken Cave bats consume up to 250 tons of insect per night.