{"id":243122,"date":"2026-04-10T05:05:19","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T05:05:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/243122\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T05:05:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T05:05:19","slug":"its-about-to-get-batty-in-texas-the-champion-newspaper-404-373-7779","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/243122\/","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s about to get batty in Texas – The Champion Newspaper | 404-373-7779"},"content":{"rendered":"

Finding something unique when traveling can be the highlight of a trip.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In Austin, Texas, few things are more unique for travelers than watching hundreds of thousands of bats flying through the sky.\u00a0That\u2019s\u00a0what one can expect to see nightly from March to November when an estimated 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats return to Austin annually from Mexico.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tourists and locals gather on\u00a0the Ann W. Richards\u00a0Congress Avenue Bridge, on watercraft on Lady Bird Lake, the Statesman Bat Observation\u00a0Center,\u00a0and a few downtown hotels near the water with elevated viewing spots to see the spectacle that takes place\u00a0approximately an\u00a0hour or two prior to sunset.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to\u00a0several\u00a0sources,\u00a0this Austin colony is the largest urban bat colony in the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The bats arrived in Austin in the 1980s after a bridge expansion\u00a0created the\u00a0ideal habitat for bats and their young. At first residents sought to have the bats\u00a0killed,\u00a0fearing they carried disease. However, one man,\u00a0photographer\u00a0and\u00a0environmentalist\u00a0Merlin Tuttle, successfully launched an educational campaign toting the environmental benefits of bats, according to experts.\u00a0He pointed out that the bats\u00a0were not a threat to humans and\u00a0consumed pests that\u00a0destroyed\u00a0crops such as corn, cotton, and tobacco.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The\u00a0bats, which\u00a0do not attack or interact with people, consume 10,000 to\u00a030,000\u00a0pounds\u00a0of insects nightly, sources\u00a0state.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bats have proven to be invaluable neighbors, providing essential pest control, attracting millions of tourists, all while decorating Austin\u2019s night skies,\u201d according to austinbats.org.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

A popular way\u00a0to experience\u00a0the night\u00a0flights is to book a tour on a\u00a0pontoon,\u00a0kayak,\u00a0or\u00a0paddleboard with a guide. Some pontoon boats can be booked for $9 to $14 per person.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In August, I experienced the bats\u2019\u00a0emergence\u00a0while I was seated\u00a0on a pontoon with a guide who provided historical and environmental information and who made sure we were in the proper position to see the bats as they\u00a0emerge\u00a0from the bridge for their nightly feed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lady Bird Lake near the bridge was crowded with a variety\u00a0of\u00a0spectators in row boats, kayaks, tour\u00a0boats\u00a0and paddle boards. The mood was festive as folks played music, waved to one another, and waited.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The bats are\u00a0approximately\u00a0half\u00a0an\u00a0ounce in\u00a0size,\u00a0and when they first come from under the\u00a0bridge,\u00a0they\u00a0are difficult to spot. However, as they form a long undulating trail in the sky, they became\u00a0more visible\u00a0against the pastel hues of the night sky.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Spectators gasped with excitement and delight, took photos\u00a0and videos, and watched the rush of bats streak across the sky.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to some sources, the emergence of\u00a0the bats\u00a0from the bridge can continue for nearly an hour.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For more information on the best places and times to see\u00a0the Austin\u00a0bats, go to\u00a0austinbats.org\u00a0and\u00a0austinbatrefuge.org.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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