This post was written by Noor Alhomsi, Digital Marketing Coordinator for Keep Texas Beautiful
Every year, nearly 1.5 million Brazilian free-tailed bats migrate to Austin roosting between the beams of the Congress Ave bridge. As evening falls, a spectacular sight can be seen as the bats emerge en masse to hunt. The columns of bats can be seen for more than a mile, reaching heights thousands of feet above the ground! Normally 1-5 columns can be visible at a time. The show typically lasts from 45-60 minutes and begins around sunset. It can start anytime between 7:30 – 9:45 pm.
Free-tailed bats are reddish to dark brown and medium size. Their wings extend more than one-third beyond the size of their body and they have broad, forward-pointing ears. Almost all the bats are female. Each bat gives birth to one baby (known as a pup) in early June and it takes about five weeks after birth for the pups to learn how to fly and hunt for insects on their own. Each mother bat can locate her pup from among the thousands under the bridge!
The bats arrive in Austin during the spring and migrate to Mexico for the fall months. They consume nearly 20-30 thousand pounds of insects on an average night, which helps to keep the ecosystem healthy. An average bat colony of a million or more can eat more than 250 tons of insects of different varieties, such as crickets, grasshoppers, and mosquitos. They save farmers millions of dollars annually by avoiding the use of pesticides.
During the 55th Annual Keep Texas Beautiful Conference this year, we will be hosting an affiliate networking event that includes sunset dinner and a bat cruise so you can experience this incredible event for yourself! We will cruise down the Colorado River in an electric boat and watch the unforgettable sight of 1.5 million Mexican Free-tailed Bats emerging from underneath the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge at sunset.
Tickets to this event include a delicious fajita dinner and beverages. Each affiliate may send up to two representatives and they may each choose to buy a ticket for up to one additional guest. Space on the boat is limited so purchase your tickets today!
Wear your KTB or local affiliate gear and join your fellow affiliate representatives for an unforgettable evening! Plan to arrive early to find parking and do wear a hat! With Keep Texas Beautiful, you will be viewing the spectacle from a boat and be right in the middle of the action.
To register for the conference and join us in this experience please register here:
https://keeptexasbeautiful.regfox.com/55th-annual-conference-2022-keep-texas-beautiful
