One of the mane attractions in Austin is the huge Bat Colony that lives under the congress bridge that comes out every night. This was our second time trying to see the bats fly, but we missed it the first time. It was really cool to see all the sudden millions of bats fly out at once. It was really cool and an experience I can now say I have had. :) Below is a little history on the bats, its really interesting, at the bottom I posted a little video. ENJOY :)
A Little History from: http://batcon.org/index.php/get-involved/visit-a-bat-location/congress-avenue-bridge.html
Every summer night, hundreds of people gather to see the world's largest urban bat colony emerge from under the Congress Avenue Bridge.These 1.5 million bats are fun to watch, but they're also making our world a better place to live.
When engineers reconstructed downtown Austin's Congress Avenue Bridge in 1980 they had no idea that new crevices beneath the bridge would make an ideal bat roost. Although bats had lived there for years, it was headline news when they suddenly began moving in by the thousands. Reacting in fear and ignorance, many people petitioned to have the bat colony eradicated.
About that time, BCI stepped in and told Austinites the surprising truth: that bats are gentle and incredibly sophisticated animals; that bat-watchers have nothing to fear if they don't try to handle bats; and that on the nightly flights out from under the bridge, the Austin bats eat from 10,000 to 20,000 pounds of insects, including agricultural pests.
As the city came to appreciate its bats, the population under the Congress Avenue Bridge grew to be the largest urban bat colony in North America. With up to 1.5 million bats spiraling into the summer skies, Austin now has one of the most unusual and fascinating tourist attractions anywhere.
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