After a wonderful, thorough, and overwhelming 2-day conference in Austin, we celebrated Texan-style at Ruby’s BBQ. Spicy, tangy sauce on mouthwatering brisket. I finally caught up on sleep and felt coherent enough to have meaningful conversations with other Fulbrighters. We have a really fun group and I can’t wait to get to know each of them better in the next 5 weeks.
Barbara, our photographer and naturalist, insisted we see the bats of Austin. Apparently, Austin is home to the largest urban bat population in the world. 1.5 million bats (probably more) live under a cement bridge and fly out at dusk to feed on insects. We walked as a group to the infamous bridge and I was surprised to see that we weren’t alone. The bridge and land below was already covered with curious spectators. I stopped at a T-shirt vendor that was selling “Keep Austin Batty” shirts and decided to support the local artist. I love my shirt, especially after seeing these bats take off for their daily meal. It was INCREDIBLE! Right as the sun began to set, you could hear chirping and fluttering of 1.5 million (x 2) wings. And then you see what looks like a cloud of black smoke coming out from under the bridge. No smoke, just lots of bats flying in a deliberate swirly pattern. They flew in flocks across the Austin downtown skyline. It was way cooler than I thought it’d be. Definitely check it out if you’re in Austin. The pics don’t do it justice.
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