Waugh Drive Bat Colony
Waugh Drive Bat Colony
4.5
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4.5
71 reviews
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H518ZWbryanm
Thousand Oaks, CA8 contributions
Oct 2022 • Solo
Pretty underwhelming. Very little parking off the highway! I had to cross 6 lanes roads with no sidewalks to get to it. And yes there were bats but they didn’t make noise or fly around. It was like 5pm so I guess they were sleeping.
Written 18 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mrscox12
North Vancouver, Canada118 contributions
July 2023
A very cool and unusual experience..especially with our little ones. A short experience though, so I would plan other things to do in that area along with the bat viewing. There are volunteers hanging around there to show you the bats hanging out under the bridge before they come out, and answer any questions you might have.
Written 26 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gary C
Las Vegas, NV24 contributions
Oct 2014 • Couples
200,000 bats, in one long stream, leaving from under the bridge and flying off east before splitting up and going hunting! Simply awe inspiring and fun to see.
We parked in Spotts park and walked under the bridge on the north side of the bayou. It wasn't crowded and we felt perfectly safe, there were joggers and bikers everywhere. However, the walk from the park crosses several busy roads and a bridge and I wouldn't recommend it for families with children.
Get there about 20 minutes before sunset and look under the bridge itself, you'll see the cracks, get an occassional glimpse of a bat and hear them chatter. The smell wasn't bad at all, but the guano can be slippery.
We would suggest parking in designated spots on Allen Road and standing on the viewing platform south of the bayou or just standing on the Waugh bridge itself. Be sure to look east. You'll see them forming a "vortex" under the bridge, then flying out east in a long, long stream of bats. Watch close and you might see the occassional hawk dive through the swarm to eat a bat!
Very cool and the bats are worth the drive and walk to get there.
We parked in Spotts park and walked under the bridge on the north side of the bayou. It wasn't crowded and we felt perfectly safe, there were joggers and bikers everywhere. However, the walk from the park crosses several busy roads and a bridge and I wouldn't recommend it for families with children.
Get there about 20 minutes before sunset and look under the bridge itself, you'll see the cracks, get an occassional glimpse of a bat and hear them chatter. The smell wasn't bad at all, but the guano can be slippery.
We would suggest parking in designated spots on Allen Road and standing on the viewing platform south of the bayou or just standing on the Waugh bridge itself. Be sure to look east. You'll see them forming a "vortex" under the bridge, then flying out east in a long, long stream of bats. Watch close and you might see the occassional hawk dive through the swarm to eat a bat!
Very cool and the bats are worth the drive and walk to get there.
Written 21 October 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Patti V
Mattawan, MI146 contributions
Oct 2018 • Couples
We hurried to get there a half hour before sunset. The bats were slow to appear, and it was almost dark. It is definitely an act of patience. But wow oh wow, what a sight to see!!! They come out in wave after wave for about a half hour. You don't actually see individual bats, just large dark clouds as they exit the bridge and go up the air. We heard that a lot of the bats died in the last hurricane, but someone told us the current population is estimated at 100,000. We had a hard time figuring out where to park. When you get close, find a place to park, and ask. People were very willing to help.
Written 9 October 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TxAgs1992
Houston, TX176 contributions
July 2022
Watching the bats emerge from Waugh Bridge surrounded by busy streets, sky scrapers, and Buffalo Bayou Park is a one of a kind wildlife viewing experience. We were there on a Friday night and there were 80-100 people there just to watch the bats emerge. The bats came out a little after sunset, so the best viewing was either along the upper path down at the railing or from the lower path where you could see them highlighted against the still light sky. There was a volunteer from the Houston Volunteer Bat Team there giving an informative talk about the bats, the bridge, bat habits and habitat, etc. According to the volunteer, somebody from their group is there every friday night from April to October giving talks to the public free of charge starting about 1/2 hour before sunset. A few tips from the volunteer:
Do not park at the strip center on the SW corner of Waugh and Allen Parkway. They have been towing cars even for people who were customers of the Subway in that center before walking over to the bridge.
Get there at least 1/2 hour before sunset if you want to hear the talk. The bats will typically come out sometime between 15 minutes before and 15 minutes after sunset.
They will typically come out every night as long as the temperature is above ~45F, but emergences are smaller in the winter and they may come out slower.
If you want to take photos, please do it with your flash turned off as it may hinder the emergence and cause them to slow down and/or stop emerging for a short time.
Keep an eye out for cyclists coming down the upper path especially if you have small kids with you. The cyclists are often moving very fast and don't always slow down for pedestrians on the path.
The emergence may start and stop early on, but will typically last 45 minutes to an hour. So if you see them come out for 5 mins and then stop, don't leave because they are not done. They will start back up and keep going in a few minutes.
The bats will almost always emerge to the east from the bridge, flying down the bayou towards Downtown. When they leave the bayou, they will usually fly into the wind. With a S or SE wind, they will often fly directly towards the AIG building and then go up the face of the building to gain altitude. This is a good area to watch for predators such as red-tailed or swainson's hawks chasing the bats. With a north of northeast wind, the bats will often fly immediately to the NE then turn north and northwest and emergences on those nights can be particularly spectacular because there is very little to prevent seeing the bats well against the skyline.
Also keep an eye out down low and in the trees along the bayou, as there is a group of Yellow Crowned Night Herons that have adapted to preying on the bats as well, and they can be seen sitting in the trees along the flight path trying to grab bats, swooping down to grabs bats off the ground, or even flying up to grab them out of the bridge crevices prior to the emergence.
Do not park at the strip center on the SW corner of Waugh and Allen Parkway. They have been towing cars even for people who were customers of the Subway in that center before walking over to the bridge.
Get there at least 1/2 hour before sunset if you want to hear the talk. The bats will typically come out sometime between 15 minutes before and 15 minutes after sunset.
They will typically come out every night as long as the temperature is above ~45F, but emergences are smaller in the winter and they may come out slower.
If you want to take photos, please do it with your flash turned off as it may hinder the emergence and cause them to slow down and/or stop emerging for a short time.
Keep an eye out for cyclists coming down the upper path especially if you have small kids with you. The cyclists are often moving very fast and don't always slow down for pedestrians on the path.
The emergence may start and stop early on, but will typically last 45 minutes to an hour. So if you see them come out for 5 mins and then stop, don't leave because they are not done. They will start back up and keep going in a few minutes.
The bats will almost always emerge to the east from the bridge, flying down the bayou towards Downtown. When they leave the bayou, they will usually fly into the wind. With a S or SE wind, they will often fly directly towards the AIG building and then go up the face of the building to gain altitude. This is a good area to watch for predators such as red-tailed or swainson's hawks chasing the bats. With a north of northeast wind, the bats will often fly immediately to the NE then turn north and northwest and emergences on those nights can be particularly spectacular because there is very little to prevent seeing the bats well against the skyline.
Also keep an eye out down low and in the trees along the bayou, as there is a group of Yellow Crowned Night Herons that have adapted to preying on the bats as well, and they can be seen sitting in the trees along the flight path trying to grab bats, swooping down to grabs bats off the ground, or even flying up to grab them out of the bridge crevices prior to the emergence.
Written 11 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CBTV
Irvine, CA83 contributions
June 2019 • Family
A very nice experience! To maximize your enjoyment, here’s what I learned about parking: you will find 3 hours of FREE parking off Allen Pkwy (very near Dunlavy St). Then you walk along the concrete pathway that parallels Allen Pkwy (walking towards Waugh Bridge) and follow the path UNDER the bridge. Once you come out the other side of the bridge, you will see a grassy area and an observation deck on the right hand side. You can hear the bats “chirp” as you near the bridge and you can definitely smell something in the air! The bats came out on a June night at 8:43pm. And they kept flying out for at least 15 minutes. They always fly in one direction (east). You can either view them from the grassy area or the observation area or from the Waugh bridge sidewalk. All those views were equally nice.
Written 12 June 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Montecore
Houston, TX507 contributions
June 2014 • Couples
This is great free experience to watch with a date or the entire family. The second largest bat colony in Texas and since they have redone Buffalo Bayou it is even more pleasurable to watch. Last time we did it from a kayak...truly amazing. But make sure you do the kayak viewing from the west side of the bridge!
Written 18 June 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gary S
Houston, TX542 contributions
Aug 2019 • Friends
This is a Fantastic Nature Show.
Arrive around 30 minutes before Sunset. They will come flying out anytime 30 min before Sunset til just after Sunset.
Tens of 1000's come flying out from under the bridge like a tornado off to eat Mosquito's for the evening.
Great sight to see.
The Hawks are also waiting to pick them off for dinner as well.
South side of the bridge on Allen Parkway side is best viewing area.
Can sit on grassy hill by base of bridge, up top on the edge of sidewalk, or sidewalk on the bridge itself. Plenty of viewing area.
There is a parking lot just to the West of Waugh called lost lake with several free spot. Also a nice little nature area to walk around.
Arrive around 30 minutes before Sunset. They will come flying out anytime 30 min before Sunset til just after Sunset.
Tens of 1000's come flying out from under the bridge like a tornado off to eat Mosquito's for the evening.
Great sight to see.
The Hawks are also waiting to pick them off for dinner as well.
South side of the bridge on Allen Parkway side is best viewing area.
Can sit on grassy hill by base of bridge, up top on the edge of sidewalk, or sidewalk on the bridge itself. Plenty of viewing area.
There is a parking lot just to the West of Waugh called lost lake with several free spot. Also a nice little nature area to walk around.
Written 12 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Andy H
5 contributions
Oct 2018 • Couples
Make sure you know: The Houston Area Bat Team gives Friday Night “Bat Chats” down at Waugh Bridge 30 minutes before sunset on Friday nights (starting first Friday in March through last Friday in October). The bat emergence usually begins around sunset.
Written 25 October 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SarahBNiles
Niles, MI176 contributions
May 2018
I read that many of the bats were killed during hurricane Harvey, but the site is still amazing! As stated in the other reviews, they come out 15 minutes after sunset, and it is a sight to see! There was a constant flow of bats for about 1 minutes & although a popular stop, there was still plenty of room to sit or stand. Check it out if you get the chance!
Written 11 May 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
What time should I arrive in October it's starti by to get dark around 6:00 now and I really want to see the bats! Can anyone please suggest to me a good time to arrive??
Written 12 October 2018
Since the time will vary depending of the day, the bat don't use a clock anyway, I would recommend being there up to an hour before sunset. They start to emerge from the bridge while it is pretty light out in small numbers, then a large batch, and will continue for 15 or more minutes.
Written 13 October 2018
I looked up sunset for Houston for a specific day we plan to visit and it said, 8:26. Is that about what time you guys went. How much earlier should we arrive, etc, don’t want to miss it!
Written 27 June 2018
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