Austin is home to the largest urban bat colony in North America. 1.5 million Mexican Free-tailed bats live under the Ann Richards Congress Avenue Bridge in downtown. Technically there are twice as many bats living under the bridge as there are people living inside the city limits and their numbers are equal to the metro "people" population. The bridge crosses Lady Bird Lake, formerly known as Town Lake, which is part of the Colorado River. The bats attract 100,000 people every year to watch them fly out. Every night the bats consume 10,000 to 30,000 pounds of insects. So they are a huge asset to the city and the region. An even larger Mexican Free-tailed bat colony exists in Bracken Cave west of San Antonio. 20 million bats live there.
Every night they fly out from under the Ann Richards Bridge in huge black swarms. It's possible to see them every night just before sunset from late February to November. You can stand atop the bridge or at a public viewing area near the bridge.
Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_W._..._Avenue_Bridge
Mexican Free-tailed bats.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_Free-tailed_Bat
Bat Conservation International
http://www.batcon.org/home/index.asp?idPage=122
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by TRSLLC on Youtube
Over 1.5 Million Mexican Free-Tail Bats live under the Congress St. bridge in Austin, TX.
They arrive in mid-March and return to Mexico in early November. They emerge at different times every night, but the hotter and drier the weather gets, the earlier they will get hungry and set out for food.
August is the best viewing month, not only because they come out before sundown, but because the newborn bats (called pups) are just beginning to forage with their mothers.
|
• Video Link
Posted by TRSLLC
• Video Link
Posted by swa1057
• Video Link
Posted by marcoskirsch
• Video Link
Posted by kel9744
Cool video here. Check out the black swarms of them off in the distance.
• Video Link
Posted by juanjmendoza
Linear Mode
