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Written by Shirley T
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Tuesday, 03 November 2009 08:15 |
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If you mention about Congress Avenue Bridge, most Austinites would be thinking that you are referring to bat watching. In fact, Austin's Congress Avenue Bridge houses the largest urban bat colony in North America. More than one million Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) called this bridge their home during March to October. Of first thought, these urban bats may be perceived as nuisance but interestingly, they provide a valuable service by consuming more than four million pounds of insects in Central Texas.
A mass exodus from underneath the bridge creates a spectacle at sunset. This impressive bat flights are usually seen in August whereby the combination of both the dry and hot weather in August causes the bats to be hungrier.
Unfortunately, their food - the insects tend to be less plentiful during this time. Thus, the mother bats must emerge to hunt earlier which is roughly 45 minutes before sunset. During the best emergence, one can easily spot up to five columns of bats from miles away. Apart from August, March and early April as well as September and October are also the months to view the impressive emergence which may capture the sight of bat flight within 20 minutes during sundown.
The growing number of urban bats started after the major deck reconstruction of Ann Richards Congress Avenue Bridge which took place in 1980 albeit bats have lived in Austin for many years. This new construction happened to create crevices of 16 inches depth running parallel along the length of the bridge. These urban bats reside primarily in the opening that are three quarters to one-and-a-half inches wide as the temperature and humidity within these spaces are ideal for raising young.
A bit of history of the Congress Avenue Bridge. Built in 1910 by an Indiana firm and consumed a cost of $200,000, it was originally designed for pedestrian, streetcar and vehicular traffic. Bridge widening had taken place in 1955 and 1978 to cater for its high usage in the capital city of Texas.
If you happen to take a stroll underneath the bridge, you would notice that the crevices section over the pedestrian walkway is sealed but not for the crevices above the fenced-up area. And be reminded, never ever handle grounded bat to prevent exposure to any infectious diseases like rabies!
Boat cruising services are also provided along the edge of the Lady Bird Lake (or Town Lake). For an adult, the bat cruising which may take about 30 minutes at sunset may cost between US$8-10 and it varies from operator to operator.
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Austin Top Attraction | Ann Richards Congress Avenue Bridge and Bat Watching
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