If you’ve been in Houston for a while, you know the Waugh Drive bridge over Buffalo Bayou is the perfect place to view bats at sunset. Mexican free-tailed bats are the most common type of bat found in the state. About 250,000 of them reside around the Waugh Drive bridge.
These Bats Love Texas
Mexican free-tailed bats often spend their winters hibernating in Mexico’s caves. Then, they begin migrating to our state in February. These bats enjoy Texas’ high humidity and temperature levels. Our climate helps nurture their large maternity colonies. The baby bats grow rapidly and are ready to fly within five to six weeks after birth. Once they’re full-grown, these bats are fast. They can fly up to 60 miles per hour because of their short fur and long narrow wings.
How To View Them
Although thousands of bats reside around the Waugh Drive bridge, the population changes throughout the year. The prime viewing time is in the summer and early fall. However, during the winter, a large group of the bats stick around. On warm winter nights, it’s possible to see a flock of them emerge by the bridge. If temperatures hover around 50 degrees or below, then they won’t come out. Make sure to arrive about 15 minutes before sunset to get a good view.
Have you seen the bats on Waugh before? Share your memory here.
