Waugh Bridge Bat Colony, Houston, TX

Waugh Bridge Bat Colony, Houston, TX

Arriving just as the sun sets on this western suburb of Houston in the Buffalo Bayou district, between Allen Parkway and Memorial Drive. You can park at Spotts Park and along Allen Parkway, some of the local business discourage parking in there lots. Hundreds have shown up 

to see Mexican Free Tailed Bats emerge from the underside of the Waugh Bridge and take flight, only five of us where there on this 40 degree borderline temperature evening to see the show. They estimate that during the warmer months - March to September, over 300,000 bats roost in the expansion joints under the bridge. I immediately began to break as many of the bat rules as possible - Parked in shopping center, ran down under the bridge with my new found Texas Cowboy friends to shine a flashlight to see if the Bats had emerged yet (avoiding the Bat Guano and urine that coats the sidewalk and path under the bridge). Rule number six was tough and we found our way down bayou and in the direct path of the bats, coming right at you, inches away from your face. Amazing and frightening. Moved a little back upstream to the safety of the viewing platform when my Texas Pardners thought it would be funny to toss sticks in the air and let the bats following them down (should have known as these two also took the "not allowed" flashlight under the bridge. Fantastic sight but gets dark very quickly after their emergence. This sight is right down the road from the Art Car Museum and if you time it just right you can tour the museum with just enough time to see the Bats. The bicycle and Jogger rule is a must follow as their are a lot of Houstonians who find it necessary to exercise in this congested flying rodent district, go figure.