What bridge do the bats come out in Austin?
the Congress Avenue Bridge
Visitors and residents alike line up nightly on the Congress Avenue Bridge to witness the bats fly out from beneath the bridge, forming a surreal dark cloud as they ascend into the night sky.
Where are bats under Congress Bridge?
You can view the bats for free by standing on the bridge and also in a bat viewing area located on the southeast corner of Congress Bridge and Lady Bird Lake. If you’re on a budget, free bat watching is a great experience.
Why do bats live under Congress Bridge?
Hundreds of people gather in the Texas capital every day at sunset to watch an estimated 1.5 million Brazilian free-tailed bats emerge from the Congress Avenue Bridge. The crevices protect bats from predators and provide female bats with an incubator-like setting to raise their young.
How many bats are in Congress Bridge Austin?
1.5 million bats
The Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge, located in the heart of downtown Austin, hosts the largest urban bat colony in the world, estimated at 1.5 million bats. It is a maternity colony, and female Mexican free-tailed bats raise an estimated 750,000 pups each year at the bridge.
What did Merlin Tuttle do?
Merlin Devere Tuttle (born August 26, 1941) is an American ecologist, conservationist, writer and wildlife photographer who has specialized in bat ecology, behavior, and conservation. He is credited with protecting the Austin Congress Avenue Bridge bat colony from extermination.
Do Austin bats always come out?
The bats do continue to fly out every single night, but some nights they are very difficult to see. Every morning, the bats return to the bridge about 30 minutes before sunrise. They are out for around 7-8 hours.
When can you see the Austin bats?
Typically, late July and early August is considered “peak season” to see a spectacular show. They usually start to emerge from the Congress Ave. bridge around 20 minutes before sundown. Take note that the bats emergence is dependent upon many factors, such as the weather and time of year.
Why are there so many bats in Austin?
Why are there so many bats in Austin, Texas? Without fail since the early 1980s, bats have long frequented the migration route between Austin, Northern, and Central Mexico. In fact, Mexican free-tailed bats have been called Austin their second home dating back to the late 1800s.
Why did Merlin Tuttle leave BCI?
Merlin, 68, began a one-year sabbatical leave to pursue personal projects, including writing his memoirs. He will also work on select projects with BCI, including efforts to deal with the crisis triggered by White-nose Syndrome.
Why do Merlin Tuttle’s bat need conserving?
Insect-eating bats save farmers approximately $23 billion in annual agricultural losses in the United States alone. Millions of free-tailed bats from Bracken Cave, Texas eat more than 100 tons of insects nightly, intercepting billions of migrant pests before they can lay eggs, a huge savings to farmers.
Do Austin bats come out in rain?
Bats fly every night, as long as it is not actively raining. But they don’t always put on a great show! The bats will fly 20-60 minutes after rain showers, but long-lasting rain will keep them in for the night. Best viewing is from mid-March to early May and from late July through mid-September.
Is Lake Travis natural?
Lake Travis is not a natural lake, in fact, it is a reservoir. The lake was created when the Lower Colorado River Authority constructed Mansfield Dam.