playbook / W I L D L I F E CONGRESS AV E N U E BRIDGE AUSTIN
➽ ABOVE: The colony of Mexican free-tailed bats trickles out from Congress Avenue Bridge against the glow of sunset. // RIGHT: Nightwing, a statue by local artist Dale Whistler, is one of many bat symbols around Austin. // BELOW: An inside view of Clarity Tunnel, an abandoned railroad tunnel at Caprock Canyon State Park in the Panhandle.
NIGHT FLIGHTS Where to watch lateseason bat emergences around Texas WORDS ELIZABETH SMITH
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october/november 2022 | DFWCHILD
BATS— THEY’RE NOCTURNAL, HANG UPSIDE DOWN,
and may or may not also be vampires. It’s no wonder they’ve become synonymous with Halloween. And as that spooky holiday nears, we’re reminded about the very real creatures that inspire so much fear and awe. Experts say they’re highly misunderstood creatures that fulfill an important part of our ecosystems by eating moths and other bugs and pollinating plants. (Yep, move over butterflies, bats are pollinators, too!) They emerge at dusk for nightly hunting and form black swirling clouds or, I’ll use my husband’s term here, bat-nado. They’re magical to witness—they being Mexican free-tail bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) whose densest concentrations can be found here in Texas thanks to large maternity colonies roosting in caves, abandoned mines and under bridges. Thankfully, it’s not too late to see them in-person again before they all migrate south for winter. They can be seen through late October and mid-November until that first cold front hits. Note that reservations are sold-out for tours through the world’s largest bat colony at Bracken Cave, located on private property outside San Antonio (book early for next year at batcon.org), but you can catch the tail end of bat season at these popular destinations around Texas.
Our state’s capital city is also home to the country’s largest urban bat colony. Interestingly, when the Congress Avenue Bridge, which stretches over Lady Bird Lake near downtown, was renovated in 1980, the 16-inch-deep expansion joints underneath inadvertently doubled as an ideal bat shelter. Fast forward 40 years and now roughly 1.5 million bats roost under the bridge each summer. The city welcomes onlookers to view the bats from the pedestrian portion of the bridge above or, more safely away from traffic, from the lawn underneath at Austin American-Statesman’s Bat Observation area at 305 South Congress Avenue. That’s on the opposite side of the road as the Nightwing, the famed bat statue by Dale Whistler and a great spot for a photo op. (You’ll find many more bat symbols around the city, which adopted the bat as its official animal emblem in 2010.) Bat watching is a huge tourist attraction for Austin, so be sure to arrive well before sunset to secure the best viewing spot on the lawn. Blankets and chairs are welcome, too. Though for a more adventurous outing and a better vantage point, get out onto the water by renting a kayak or joining a boat cruise. Several companies offer sunset boat and kayak tours and water sports equipment for evening rentals. Austin Bat Refuge has an exhaustive list at austinbatrefuge.org. A couple notable ones include Lone Star Riverboat (512/327-1388; lonestarriverboat. com) for its nightly bat-watching tours through early November. Reservations are $13 adults; $8 children; under 3 free. Live Love Paddle (512/804-2122; livelovepaddle.com) offers bat-watching kayaking tours on Thursdays through Sundays ($55) and Mondays ($50). Reservations are required, and kids must weigh at least 30 pounds and wear a lifejacket. Ask for the tandem kayaks, so you’ll be sure not to be separated out on the water. Keep in mind that bats are never guaranteed to emerge en masse each night. Check austinbatrefuge.org for the most up-to-date predictions of bat flights based on weather.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF DALE WHISTLER ; EARL NOTTINGHAM, TPWD; ISTOCK
3.5 hours south of Dallas 512/695-4116; austinbatrefuge.org
