Bat Viewing in Texas: The Best Sites for Seeing Bats

Batty for bats? Texas, especially Central Texas boasts great viewing sites for watching the bats emerge from their caves. Huge bat colonies come out during the evening from March until October from caves, bridges, and tunnels in Texas. Texas has 33 species of bats according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Association. Central Texas is the most populated region for the bats and is famous for the Mexican free-tailed bat.

The bat is an agricultural friend as it controls some of the worst pests. The Mexican free-tailed bat eats moths that lay eggs which develop into caterpillars that eat on crops such as corn and cotton. These voracious feeders consume more than 1,000 tons of insects every night.

Various bat viewing sites:

Clarity Tunnel, Caprock Canyons State Park

This park is located near Silverton, TX. Contact the park at 806-455-1492.

Congress Avenue Bridge, Austin, TX

This bridge is located about one mile south of the Capitol and is the world’s largest urban bat colony consisting of 1.5 million bats. You can call the Statesman’s bat hotline at 512-4-6-5700, category 3636 for more information.

Devil’s Sinkhole State Natural Area:

This is located near Rocksprings, Texas. Tours are offered Wednesday through Sunday, April through October, by reservation. Adults are $12, over 65 are $10, Children 4-11 are $6, and those under 4 are free. For more information, contact the Devil’s Sinkhole Society at 830-683-2287.

Eckert James River Bat Cave Preserve in Mason, Texas

This cave is home to about 6 million bats. Tours are available during the evening hours. For more information, contact www.nature.org.

Frio Cave in Concan, Texas

The state’s second largest rural colony has 10 to 12 million bats. Located in the Texas Hill Country, tours are provided. For more information, contact, 830-966-2320.