Bat City Austin

A marvellous spectacle of nocturnal flying mammals.

- S. Sundar Rajan

I had the pleasure of meeting my school mates, in Austin, USA, after forty five years that brought nostalgic memories of our school days. It was evening and we decided to take a trek along the 'Lady Bird Lake', chatting happily.

On our return, I was surprised to see people gathering in groups on the banks of the lake and a crowd was assembling on the bridge over the Colorado River, expectantly peering across the waters.

Seeing my surprise, one of my friends, a resident of Austin, informed me that such evenings are a very regular feature between March and October every year, when people gather in large numbers at sunset to watch the bats fly out of their roost.

It also draws a large number of tourists to witness this spectacle.

I was even more surprised as bats are generally regarded as a symbol of bad omen, across most countries, identifying with death, rebirth or other calamities while in some countries like China they are worshipped.

Seeing my surprise, my friend started narrating the history of the bats in Austin.

These are Mexican free tailed bats and account for the largest Urban Bats. They migrate from Mexico to the US every year in summer, between March and October and return to Mexico at the onset of winter in the US.

The bridge, one of the oldest in Austin, initially named Congress Avenue Bridge, crosses over Lady Bird Lake. The bridge was rechristened as Ann W Richards Congress Avenue Bridge on 16th November 2006, after the 46th Governor of Texas.

It is also known as South Congress Avenue Bridge. But it popularly came to be known as the Bats Bridge due to the cauldron of bats that migrate and congregate here during Summer, this being the most abundant mammal in the USA.