Hearts out to Waugh and Watonga Bridge bat colonies displaced from the horrible flooding of the Houston bayous, and thanks to all the caring Houstonites who reached out to us for information about how to help them. We are a small facility with limited resources and are in awe of our colleagues at Bat World who mobilized a large response to help the bats and their rescuers. We continue to be available by phone and email for information and to take additional bats from the Houston area if necessary.
Good strong emergence from Congress Avenue Bridge last night, some to the SSW and most to the SE.
Congress Bridge is 40 feet above the Colorado River and has not flooded since the bat colony moved in in the early 1980s. We have had bats displaced from the 9th St. Bridge, which is 12 feet high over Shoal Creek back in the surprise Memorial Day flood of 2015. The next day the crevices were filled with anything that could float and when we dug out the flotsam and jetsam, no bats were found trapped behind the debris. Our take is that the bats bailed out of the bridge as the water neared the crevices. The colony has since rebounded and seems as strong as ever, with many thousands flying out each night.
Our hearts ache for the people of southeast Texas, and for the bats in the bayou bridges of Houston. We hope and believe that they will rebound and again occupy those bridges in large numbers in the near future.
