Bats Under Congress Ave. Bridge

During the spring and summer at dusk 1.5 million Mexican free-tail bats emerge from under the Congress Ave. Bridge in Austin. The bats rest under the arches of the bridge during the daylight hours and fly off to feed every night. This has become a big tourist attraction in Austin and I finally decided to see it for myself. 

My goal was to paddle under the bridge at dusk in my kayak and try to get an up close and personal view. I was able to accomplish this without being covered in bat guano or dunking my camera or myself in the river.

Here is Congress Ave. Bridge from the river about 75 minutes before sunset.

Looking west from under the bridge awaiting the sunset.

The crowds awaiting the bats.

Bats!

I actually took many pictures of the bats but most were extremely blurry. I blame this partly on my mediocre photography but primarily on the fact that I was in a tiny boat in a river with a strong current. For more information and certainly better pictures of the bats go here.