Bat Viewing at Waugh Drive Bridge
GROWING UP IN AUSTIN, I knew of the huge bat population living and emerging under Congress Avenue bridge each night. But I just recently heard of a smaller scale bat viewing right here in Houston. The Waugh Bridge bat colony features about 250,000 Mexican Free-Tailed bats that emerge around sunset each night, unless it’s foggy or rainy. In fact, I learned from the Waugh Bat Colony FAQ page that the greatest concentration of bats occurs in the late summer months since this is a nursing colony! This bat colony inhabits the Waugh Drive Bridge over Buffalo Bayou between Memorial Drive and Allen Parkway. Free parking is available along Allen Parkway and Spotts Park. For more details about best viewing locations and viewing etiquette, check out The City of Houston’s bat page here.
For unique viewing, consider taking the Bat Colony Pontoon Boat tours offered for a fee the second Friday of each month by the Buffalo Bayou Partnership. The tour begins 45 minutes before dusk. Only 20 folks can attend each month, so plan ahead quickly if you’re interested. July is already sold out, so the next available date is August 14. Prices are a little high, but it’s certainly a memorable event — adults are $35 and kids (4-12) are $20. For more information or to register, call 713.752.0314 ext. 4.
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One Response to “Bat Viewing at Waugh Drive Bridge”
July 16th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
Sounds like and interesting things for the kids to see. Kids have an innate curiosity for animals I bet they’ll be fascinated by this.