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How a bridge redesign invited the colony

Keep Austin weird

Chapter 1

The bat bridge phenomenon

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Chapter 2

The birth of Keep Austin Weird

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Chapter 3

The blue dot in a red state

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Chapter 4

Music, festivals, and quirky landmarks

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YOUR GOAL

Master of Keep Austin weird

Ch 1 · The bat bridge phenomenon
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Keep Austin Batty

gertrude Keep Austin Batty

Jul 16

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gertrude How a bridge redesign invited the colony

Jul 16

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gertrude The migration of Mexican free-tailed bats

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gertrude The nightly insect-eating spectacular

Jul 16

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gertrude Austin Bat Bridge

At dusk in Austin, a sight to behold, A million bats from Congress Bridge, a story told.

Jul 16

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From neighborhood panic to tourist goldmine

gertrude From neighborhood panic to tourist goldmine

Jul 16

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Fun Fact

Bat appetite: The Congress Avenue Bridge bats eat up to 15 tons of insects every single night, acting as nature's ultimate chemical-free pest control.

Jul 16

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How a bridge redesign invited the colony

gertrude How a bridge redesign invited the colony

Jul 16

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Glossary
roost (noun)
A place where birds or bats regularly congregate to rest or sleep. In 1980, reconstruction of Austin's Congress Avenue Bridge accidentally created an ideal concrete roost for migrating bats.

Jul 16

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Quiz

In what year was the Congress Avenue Bridge remodeled, accidentally creating the perfect bat habitat?

Jul 16

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Gossip

Would you stand under a bridge to watch 1.5 million bats fly out?

Jul 16

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Quiz

How wide are the concrete expansion joints under the bridge that the bats sleep in?

Jul 16

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Quiz

What is the official name of the Austin bridge where the bats live?

Jul 16

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Quiz

Which organization's founder moved to Austin in 1986 to save the bridge bats?

Jul 16

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Quiz

Approximately how many pounds of insects can the Austin bat colony eat in a single night?

Jul 16

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Quiz

During which season do the Austin bats migrate back south to Mexico?

Jul 16

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Quiz

Which bat species forms the famous colony under Austin's Congress Avenue Bridge?

Jul 16

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Quiz

How much annual tourism revenue do the Congress Avenue Bridge bats generate for Austin?

Jul 16