~Lots of Bats~
Written: Oct 12 '99 (Updated Oct 20 '99)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Interesting to see
Cons: none really, it would be bad if you missed it
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| data's Full Review: Congress Ave. Bridge Bats |
SOOOOO many bats, it was truly strange.
Honestly the bat thing was different than I thought it would be. So many people talked about it that I thought it would look alot different than it did, but it was still very cool. Not something you see everyday.
An estimated 750,000 Mexican free-tailed bats live in spaces beneath the Congress Avenue Bridge!!!
Why do they come to Austin you ask ?
It all started in 1980, when the team of engineers designing the Congress Avenue Bridge had no idea that the crevices they'd created beneath the bridge would soon become the home to the largest urban bat colony in North America.
Each spring, free-tailed bats migrate from central Mexico to roosting sites throughout the southwestern United States. By mid-March, hundreds of thousands of mother bats arrive in Austin. The 15 crevices in the Congress Avenue Bridge provide the perfect shelter for the mother bats, who each give birth to a pup in early June. Austin's hot, humid weather is also a perfect breeding ground for insects -- the main course for the bats.
I saw the bats from the TGIF's right there by the water. A great spot to view the flight of the bats, but ALOT of people gather there. My friend and I decided to have a bit to eat and wait for the bats. So we got a table outside on the deck and waited, and waited, and waited,,,,We were at our table around 7pm and the bats finally started the flight at around 8:10 ish ,,,But, if you do go to TGIF's and want to sit on the deck there is a wait, so maybe call ahead to check how long of one. My friend and I were afraid we might miss the whole event, so we got there super early.
If you do not want to spend any money on food to see the bats, I would also recommend either ( A ) Standing on the bridge or even ( B ) Just standing outside by TGIF's. Alot of people did that. If you stand outside on the TGIF side of the bridge you will not have to worry about bringing an umbrella like mentioned in the other review. The bats are on the other side of the lake.
I think everyone would like to see it. Once again when will you get the chance to see that many bats!~!~
I don't want to ruin it for you if you come to Austin to see it, so I'm not going to go into detail about how it looks.
:-)
Some BAT facts for you ::: Bats are mammals and belong to the order Chiroptera, meaning "hand wing", making them more closely related to humans than to the mice to which they are frequently compared.
Seeing in the dark ::: Mexican free-tailed bats can find their food in total darkness. They echolocate or locate objects by emitting inaudible high-pitched sounds, 10-20 beeps per second and listening to echoes. Once a bat finds prey, it speeds up the number of beeps, until it zeros in on the catch. The bats learn to read these echoes to know what's around them. For instance, a tree sends back a different echo than a moving insect.
For more Bat info check out the Bat Conservation International located in Austin : http://www.batcon.org/
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
data
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Member: DataGirl
Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 3 members
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