With Austin’s massive growth in the past 20 years, only a few select experiences have remained an integral part of the Austin experience. One of these key events is that of the Congress Avenue bats, a huge colony of over 1 million bats that come crawling out during summer evenings.

Austin bats are a major tourist attraction for tourists touring Austin, and they have been a defining feature of the city for years. The bats, housing in small cracks found within the bridge, find the structure the perfect size and conditions to take shelter in during the day.

Cerise Mensah is a student at Texas State currently studying Wildlife Ecology. She believes that the temperature of the bridge is ideal for the bats and that is why they prefer it for raising offspring and as a perfect habitat.

“It’s getting heated up throughout the day because of the hot Texas sun,” Mensah said. “It’s nice and warm for them and it’s nice for their babies so they can grow in a nice warm environment”.

Mose Buchele is the senior correspondent for the Energy and Environment section of KUT. He feels that the experience of watching the bats is unique.

“The thing that is the most magical about the bats for me is the experience of viewing them all emerge at once in the evening,” Buchele said. “Seeing them in these clouds, these massive ribbons that emerged millions of bats but also hearing them and just understanding how this mass of animals can just take over a space, it’s just awe-inspiring to be able to witness that.”

Through her education, Madison has learned that despite bat’s small brain size, they have many unique traits. For example, bats are very intelligent and have complex social structures.

“These bats are highly social, [and] they’re highly intelligent, Mensah said.” Not a lot of studies have been done on their intelligence but they have a very complex social structure, just like people.”

Buchele finds that there is more to the South Congress bats than a simple tourist attraction. He believes the story of their journey can represent the achievements in ecological progress made in Austin.

“This is a city known for environmentalism and conservation and the bats really tell that story,” Buchele said. It’s really just a beautiful success story of environmental education, and with a happy outcome, which is not always the case, people have been brought up to really fear bats for generations and the fact that through education people can come to embrace this colony right here downtown is a really wonderful thing.”