Congress Bridge Bats

This was one of the coolest things I've ever seen.

The Congress Avenue Bridge spans Town Lake in downtown Austin and is home to the largest urban bat colony in North America. The colony is estimated at 1.5 million Mexican free-tail bats. Each night from mid-March to November, the bats emerge from under the bridge at dusk to blanket the sky as they head out to forage for food. This event has become one of the most spectacular and unusual tourist attractions in Texas. The most spectacular bat flights are during hot, dry August nights, when multiple columns of bats emerge. There are several points from which to view the event, and an information kiosk is located on the north bank of the river, just east of the bridge.

We sat on the grassy knoll, surrounded by the Austin culture. I absolutely love Austin. It has a modern, funky, new feel to it. It's extremely diverse and it's a very clean city. While we were waiting on the bats, there was a couple down on the bottom of the hill that was doing magic tricks and stunts...and people were tipping them like crazy! I asked Ron if he thought that maybe that's what they did for a living. It left me daydreaming about finding a trade that I am good at or moving to Austin and coming up with a wacky talent that people will pay to see. Eh, maybe not...but I do think it would be fun.

I am a people watcher and this diverse atmosphere was the prime area to watch them. When I'm out in public, I watch people constantly. I am not meaning to stare, I just love to see how people do things...how they interact with their partners, children and other people in general. Ron always comments about my "people watching" but I can't help it, it's fascinating. It's part of me and I don't see it easing up anytime soon. Thankfully, I haven't had anyone bust my chops by asking me what I am staring at...if I get caught, I give a quick grin and look away. Then I look back in a few seconds to keep watching them. It does get kind of awkward if you get caught a second time though. I don't care, like I said, it's fascinating.

Anyways, here are some more pictures.