Bats at the Bridge

The Congress Avenue Bridge (see Downtown Inset) is home to the largest urban bat colony in North America. Nearly 1.5 million Mexican Free-tailed bats reside in vertical crevices beneath the bridge roadway from mid-March to early November. The crevices provide ideal temperature and       humidity conditions for this maternity colony in which mother bats raise their young. Each mother gives birth to one "pup" in early June; within five weeks the babies are fully weaned and begin foraging on their own. The bats provide a valuable environmental service to central Texas by consuming 10-15 tons of insects nightly -- including mosquitoes and many crop pests such as corn-borer moths. The nightly bat exodus has become one of the most spectacular  visitor attractions in Texas. The most impressive flights can be seen on hot, dry August evenings, often well before sundown, as multiple columns of bats fan out from under the bridge offering unique photo opportunities. Best viewing spots are at the Bat Educational Kiosk on the north bank just east of the bridge and on the south bank at the Kiosk/Observation Area, east of the bridge. For emergence times contact the Bat Hot Line: 416-5700 Ex. 3636. For further information contact Bat  Conservation International, 512-327-9721, or, www.batcon.org.