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Welcome to Bat City

Congress Avenue Bridge

Austin's most spectacular natural wonder. The largest urban bat colony in the world — and Austin Bat Refuge has been your trusted guide here for over a decade.

Up to 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats · Every evening March–October · Free to watch

When are the bats flying?

Our start of flight time prediction for Sunday, October 18, 2026 is between

7:05pm – 7:35pm

Given that winds stay low & little chance of rain. Sunset at 6:58 pm. Chance for a great flight tonight, but will likely be just before or just after dark. Partial migrations have started, with some bats leaving Congress and others arriving from the north. Flight Time Conditions predicted to be Chance of Rain 0%, Temperature 68°F, Winds E at 4 mph

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Given the right conditions, bats will generally emerge just before dark here in early fall. Times vary depending on cloud cover; cloudy nights usually see earlier flights, while clear skies can make for later flights. Bats can sometimes bust out a half hour earlier on the first night of cold fronts from the N, so get there early on those evenings. Temps below 60°F, Non-Northerly Winds over 10 mph, Good Rain Chances, or Waxing Gibbous to Full Moons can suppress or diminish flights.

Updated daily by Austin Bat Refuge staff · Last updated October 18, 2026

Saturday, October 17, 2026

Last Night's Flight at a Glance

Flight started at 7:08 pm

Starting 10 minutes after sunset (right about dark on a Mostly Cloudy evening), a snapshot at 7:35 pm showed 16% of the summer colony in flight some heading 8 miles WNW with most heading 8 miles SE (6% of the total at altitude) (~61,620 headed SW in migration) on N Winds at 13 mph - had been N 6-13 mph all afternoon with gusts to 23 mph around 4:30pm, Visibility 10 miles, Mostly Cloudy, Temperature 65°F, Dew Point 35° steady, 1 Heating Degree Day, Cloud Base 6840', RH 33% rising, Heat Index N/A, BP 30.36 steady, Sea Level pressure 1028.0 rising, bats viewable until 7:41 pm under streetlights

Still good viewing, when viewed from under the bridge on the SE side. the bats are now fattening up on reverse-migrating moths; a critical food source that fuels their migration - ~61620 headed SW in migration this night

Visitor Tips

Make the Most of Bat Night

  • Arrive 30–45 minutes before predicted flight time — prime spots fill fast on weekends
  • South side, east railing gives the closest view as bats emerge heading east down the river
    • Better when bats fly well before dark
  • The free viewing lawn below on the south bank is great for families with chairs
    • Better when bats fly close to dark, as one can backlight the bats against lights in buildings
  • Look for our education table on Saturday nights.
  • Bring a light jacket in late fall — evenings cool quickly after sunset
  • Bats usually don't emerge on cold or rainy nights — check the flight prediction above first
  • Use night mode on your phone — flash doesn't help and bothers the bats
  • Bright lights will shut down the flights - Don't use bright lights
The Colony

The World's Most Famous Urban Bats

Beneath the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge lives a colony of approximately 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) — the largest urban bat colony in the world and one of the most awe-inspiring wildlife spectacles on the planet.

Each evening from March through October, the bats pour out from the bridge's expansion joints in a swirling, undulating stream that can last up to 45 minutes. The sky darkens with wings. It is, simply, unforgettable.

Austin Bat Refuge is the only organization with up-close experience at this site. We've staffed the public education table at the bridge every weekend for over a decade.

Mexican Free-Tailed Bat · Tadarida brasiliensis

Watch Them Fly

The same species that fills the Congress Avenue Bridge every evening — filmed in flight. One and a half million emerge each night in a stream that lasts up to 45 minutes.

Photography

The Colony in Photos

Rescued bat resting calmly in a caregiver's gloved hand during a health check Close-up of a bat in care, mouth open, held gently by a gloved caregiver A hairless newborn bat pup in the care of Austin Bat Refuge Bats roosting closely together in a narrow bridge expansion joint Bats flying through cypress tree branches near Congress Avenue Bridge Massive bat swarm streaming into the sky above the treeline at dusk Bats skimming low over Lady Bird Lake at sunset Crowd of visitors watching bats emerge from Congress Avenue Bridge Silhouetted crowd watching the bat colony emerge against an orange sunset sky Spectators lining Congress Avenue Bridge as bats stream out from the arches below Bat colony swirling into a blue evening sky above Congress Avenue Bridge Bats emerging beneath a vivid orange sunset sky at Congress Avenue Bridge Bat colony spiraling into the twilight sky above the bridge and trees Bats flying past a crescent moon in a clear blue sky Golden sunset silhouette of the bat colony emerging over Congress Avenue Bridge Bats streaming past the downtown Austin skyline at dusk S-curve ribbon of bats rising into the sunset sky above Congress Avenue Bridge Bat colony emerging into a dramatic orange and purple sunset sky
Getting There

Three Main Viewing Spots

All three spots are free, family-friendly, and within 100 yards of each other. You cannot get a bad view — pick the one that fits your group.

  1. 1

    The Bridge Railing (South Side)

    The closest view — bats emerge from expansion joints directly below your feet. Stand at the southeast railing for the best angle as the colony heads east downstream. Fills up fast; arrive early on weekends. Best when bats fly well before dark. When they fly at dark, dark bats against dark water is not the best view.
  2. 2

    Free Bat Viewing Area (South Bank)

    A dedicated lawn below the bridge on the south bank of Lady Bird Lake is the most dependable location to get a good view. More relaxed, great for families with blankets and folding chairs. Our education table is here every Saturday. Bats are backlighted by buildings on evenings when they fly after dark.
  3. 3

    Lady Bird Lake by Kayak

    Several operators launch bat-watching boats and kayaks from the Congress Avenue dock. Watch a million bats swirl overhead from the water — an unforgettable perspective.
Recent Flights

Last Week's Flights

Flight times and conditions for the last seven nights at Congress Avenue Bridge.

DayDateFlight TimeCongress Ave Bridge Snapshot / Flight-time Conditions
Saturday 17 Oct 2026 7:08 pm Starting 10 minutes after sunset (right about dark on a Mostly Cloudy evening), a snapshot at 7:35 pm showed 16% of the summer colony in flight some heading 8 miles WNW with most heading 8 miles SE (6% of the total at altitude) (~61,620 headed SW in migration) on N Winds at 13 mph - had been N 6-13 mph all afternoon with gusts to 23 mph around 4:30pm, Visibility 10 miles, Mostly Cloudy, Temperature 65°F, Dew Point 35° steady, 1 Heating Degree Day, Cloud Base 6840', RH 33% rising, Heat Index N/A, BP 30.36 steady, Sea Level pressure 1028.0 rising, bats viewable until 7:41 pm under streetlightsStill good viewing, when viewed from under the bridge on the SE side. the bats are now fattening up on reverse-migrating moths; a critical food source that fuels their migration - ~61620 headed SW in migration this night
Thursday 15 Oct 2026 7:10 pm Starting 12 minutes after sunset (~13 minutes before dark on an evening with A Few Clouds), a snapshot at 7:47 pm showed 12% of the summer colony in flight heading 8 miles E (35% of them at altitude) on SE Winds at 6 mph - had been southerly 8-14 mph all afternoon with gusts to 24 mph around 12:30 pm, Visibility 10 miles, A Few Clouds, Temperature 81°F, Dew Point 64° steady, 14 Cooling Degree Days, Cloud Base 3876', RH 57% rising, Heat Index 83°F, BP 29.97 rising, Sea Level pressure 1014.0 rising, bats viewable until 7:57 pm under streetlightsStill good viewing, when viewed from under the bridge on the SE side. the bats are now fattening up on reverse-migrating moths; a critical food source that fuels their migration
Wednesday 14 Oct 2026 7:20 pm Starting 19 minutes after sunset (~6 minutes before dark on an evening with A Few Clouds), a snapshot at 7:32 pm showed only 2% of the summer colony in flight - some heading 6 miles NW with most heading 6 miles NNE (none of them at altitude) on SE Winds at 18 mph with gusts to 24 mph - had been southerly 8-18 mph all afternoon with similar gusts at noon and again starting around 5:30pm, Visibility 10 miles, A Few Clouds, Temperature 84°F, Dew Point 74° rising, 21 Cooling Degree Days, Cloud Base 2280', RH 72% rising, Heat Index 91°F, BP 29.93 rising, Sea Level pressure 1012.4 rising, bats viewable until 8:15 pm under streetlightsStill good viewing, when viewed from under the bridge on the SE side. despite most bats waiting for reverse migrating moths to arrive on N winds. Strong S winds kept most bats in the roost again this night
Tuesday 13 Oct 2026 7:24pm Scouts at 7:16pm Starting 22 minutes after sunset (~12 minutes after dark on a Mostly Cloudy evening), a snapshot at 7:37 pm showed only 2% of the summer colony heading 10 miles NNE (very few of them at altitude) on SE Winds at 17 mph with gusts to 26 mph - had been southerly 12-16 mph with occasional gusts to 24 mph all afternoon, Visibility 10 miles, Mostly Cloudy, Temperature 88°F, Dew Point 73° rising, 22 Cooling Degree Days, Cloud Base 3420', RH 61% rising, Heat Index 96°F, BP 29.91 rising, Sea Level pressure 1011.5 rising, bats viewable until 8:13 pm under streetlightsStill good viewing, when viewed from under the bridge on the SE side. despite most bats waiting for reverse migrating moths to arrive on N winds. Strong S winds kept most bats in the roost this night
Sunday 11 Oct 2026 7:30 pm Starting 37 minutes after sunset (about 15 minutes after dark on a Partly Cloudy evening), a snapshot at 8:09 pm showed 19% of the colony heading 10 miles S (1% of those at altitude) on N Winds at 8 mph - had been N 12-14 mph most of the afternoon with gusts to 24 mph around 2:30 pm, Visibility 10 miles, Partly Cloudy, Temperature 76°F, Dew Point 56° falling, 14 Cooling Degree Days, Cloud Bast 4560', RH 50% rising, Heat Index 78°F, BP 30.03 rising, Sea Level pressure 1016.3 rising, bats viewable until 8:45 pm under streetlightsThe bats rode surface-level northerlies 8 miles S

Fall Migration 2025: We estimate between 80,000 to 100,000 bats overwintered at the bridge and up to 300k in Austin. Jan 9 – 98,766 flew – some 6 miles WSW with most heading 10 miles ESE Dec 28 ~166,474 foraged locally Dec 18 ~148,790 bats flew (86,450 of those migrated) Dec 10 ~12,780 flew 12 miles SSE. Nov 25 ~389,900 flew with 85,300 of those in migration. Nov 24 a snapshot showed 1,562,494 in flight Nov 10 ~88,570 migrated. Nov 7 ~837,350 flew on a north front, some foraging locally – most migrated. Oct 28 partial migration of ~581,00. Oct 21 200,000 in first partial migration.

More on the Statesman Re-development at bottom of page

Much of the info below is four years old now. It accurately reflects our feelings at the time, but we're in the process of updating it

The TIRZ (Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone) that was to fund much of the infrastructure in the South Central Waterfront district has been shot down by the courts (See Austin American-Statesman article about what is happening on their former location at bottom of page). This tool, normally used to re-develop blighted areas, was touted as a way to pay for amenities in the upscale SCW, but now that vision has gotten a wake-up call from the courts and is once more up for negotiation between developers and the taxpayers.

The Trinity Bridge: Project Connect has settled on the Trinity Bridge option, but we leave our opinion below: We do not know all the implications of the separate design options for Project Connect and the potential light rail bridge crossing Town Lake. But strictly speaking from the bat’s perspective: We are not in favor of a proposed Trinity St bridge (pictured below in the path of the bat flight) We feel it could inhibit the Congress Avenue Bridge bats from exiting the city, endangering what might be a $20 million / year economic engine for the City of Austin. Do we want to lose them by walling them in with high-rises of the South Central Waterfront to the south, the existing high-rises to the north, and the ever growing Rainey St wall, while adding the proposed Trinity St bridge to the east, directly in their flight path? We would prefer the First St bridge options (the black line to the west of Congress Avenue Bridge) for any light rail river crossing, so as not to squeeze the bats even further. Considering all the river development in a holistic manner is imperative. The Congress Avenue Urban Design Initiative (CAUDI), the Statesman PUD, proposed Trinity St bridge, & Rainey St, may be happening concurrently, and the existing Line – 4 Seasons high rises will complete the box. Do we know the combined effect?

Map of proposed Trinity St and First St light-rail bridge options, with the Congress Avenue Bridge bat flight path, the Statesman PUD and Rainey St high-rises marked

The wall of high-rises at Rainey Street is almost impenetrable for bats as it is. Has environmental revue considered the bats in their review process? The city did not require environmental impact surveys for wildlife in the Statesman re-development permit process, so it seems likely they won’t for any light-rail projects. Will the height of the proposed Trinity St. bridge inhibit the bats from using the river as an exit corridor from the city? Has environmental revue considered the height of the bat flight as they pass that point of the river? The proposed Trinity St bridge could be the last-straw impediment for the Congress bats using the river as an exit corridor, in an increasingly urban canyon. Why are they proposing over 100 year-old technology, with electrical line above the bridge feeding the power to the train cars? Surely we've made some progress since Bonnie & Clyde's days, when similar train cars traversed bridges over the Trinity River in West Dallas in 1920. Is their a design plan to mitigate bat strikes on the Trinity crossing option? Another implication of the re-development part of this is that the boathouse at Waller Creek will have to be moved, with the likely new location creating more development on the south shore in front of the Oracle campus. For all these reasons, we urge you to support the First St Bridge options for Project Connect. Voice your opinion before 05May2023 at https://publicinput.com/lightrailopenhouse We would love to see the airport connected by light rail, but why is there no First St. bridge option connecting to ABIA? In other news, The Statesman newspaper is now gone Start date for demolition and construction on the site could be as early as Oct 2023

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything You Need to Know

"Never Handle a Grounded Bat"
Bats at the bridge pose virtually no risk to viewers standing on the bridge or in the viewing area. They are incredibly skilled fliers and will not fly into you intentionally. Never attempt to touch a bat on the ground, a bat that can be touched could bite in self-defense. The signs that read "Never Handle a Grounded Bat" have kept thousands of visitors safe every night for over 45 years.
What kind of bats live under the bridge?
The colony is composed almost entirely of Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis), a migratory species that winters in Mexico and summers in Central Texas. The females arrive in spring, give birth to pups in June, and mostly depart in October.
Is there a fee to watch the bats?
Watching from the bridge or the free viewing area is entirely free, but parking at the Bat Viewing Area parking lot costs $22-$39 for 3 hours (minimum time). Bat-watching tours are offered by various operators along the waterfront if you'd prefer a guided experience on the water.
When is the best time of year to visit?
March and April - August, September, and October
Flights from the third week of July extending through September offer the largest colony sizes — pups are flying, mothers are active, and the evenings are still warm. The colony begins arriving in late February to early March and viewing is excellent as bats emerge well before dark through mid-May. Starting in mid-May, flights times become close to, or after dark, as the bats get more cautious toward maternity season. Average date of birth is June 10th and bat mums are engaged in intense maternity care through June 20th. Once the pups are flying, around the third week in July, flights becoming reliably before dark as our normal dry season causes the bats to leave earlier to search long and hard for limited prey. The colony  starts departing in October, but good viewing can continue well into December.

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