Bats Return to a Bridge

In this article, the author describes the sensitive bridge build performed in Sacramento, California where bats were relocated from the old Franklin Boulevard Bridge to the new renovated version. These bats were seen as critical to the area’s ecosystem as the 100 millimeter long creatures consume as much as 680 kg of insects per day. The Mexican free-tail bat roost is the largest maternal roost in California, and has adopted the new bridge rather rapidly considering its large size, with an estimated 7,000 bats currently residing in the new bridge, even prior to its completion. The new bridge features a roost specifically designed for the bats, with long redwood planks serving as a nesting site. In order to keep old bats out of the old trestle, contractors had to caulk shut every hold to ensure that the bats changed residences.