Feature: Texas Migrations

When winter arrives in Texas, it doesnt come alone. As the new season approaches, hundreds
of migratory species, from whooping cranes to monarch butterflies, migrate into Texas,
blanketing the Great Plains. Adding to the commotion of winters arrival are Texass summer
residents, like the Mexican free-tailed bats who prepare to darken Texas skies on their way
home to Mexico. These wondrous migrations, whether northbound or southbound, paint
surreal images that cause spectators to stop and enjoy natures beautiful creations.

Deleted: M
Comment [O1]: Chicago 7.16
Comment [O2]: Changed this to plural so it
would agree with residents and they
Deleted: ,
Deleted:
Comment [O3]: Parallelism

Mexican Free-tailed Bats

Gotham might have Batman for its superhero, but Austin, Texas, is protected by Mexican freetailed bats1.5 million of them to be exact! In 1980, the Congress Avenue Bridge underwent
reconstruction, and ever since, these millions of bats have made roosting nests in nooks and
crevices underneath the bridge.
Every summer, clouds of pregnant bats swarm in from Central Mexico to give birth to
their baby pups. Over the next couple of months, the mother bats fly through Austins skies in
search of food for their young. Local bat researchers estimate that the bats consume 10,000 to
30,000 pounds of insects each night. That adds up to 2 to 3 million pounds of insects consumed
before the bats return home to Mexico in late January.
This form of natural pest control was not always welcome in Austin. When the Mexican
free-tailed bats first arrived, locals feared the massive black invasion and protested to eradicate
the bats from the city. Bat conservationists rushed to the rescue, building informational booths
all around the Congress Avenue Bridge to inform locals of the benefits of their winged friends.
Conservationists emphasized the fact that a massive bat population would keep Austins insect
level at a minimum, which meant freedom from mosquitos.
Locals soon began to embrace the bats and today the bat phenomenon brings in more
than $10 million a year in tourism funds. Bat Fest!, a weekend festival to honor Austins bats,
entertains thousands of eager spectators annually. Bat Fest! features a nighttime concert with
local artists that starts once the bats have finished hunting, as well as food trucks and booths to
keep all the tourists satisfied as they watch the spectacular sky fill up with trails of black smoke.
The best time to spot the bats is during the sunset; the best way to spot them is by
canoe. Dozens of companies in the area offer canoeing tours or small boat cruises that venture
underneath Congress Avenue Bridge to see the bats swarm from below. Some of these touring
companies include Capital Cruises and Live Love Paddle. The event lasts for up to 30 minutes
every night, which allows for a variety of spectacularly eerie photos.

Comment [O4]: Deleted because we just barely

said Texas skies
Deleted: in Texas skies
Deleted: us
Comment [O5]: Gotham is singular, so its
pronoun needs to match. See Chicago 5.131.
Comment [O6]: Chicago 6.46, 10.30
Deleted: their
Deleted: has
Deleted: to protect their city
Comment [O7]: I feel like nests is more
appropriate as a plural since there millions of bats
and they are probably not all in the exact same nest,
right?
Deleted: a
Deleted: in nooks and crevices
Deleted: a

Comment [O8]: Im assuming this is what you

meant, rather than that the mosquitoes themselves
were liberated.
Deleted: mosquito freedom
Comment [O9]: Chicago 9.25
Deleted: ten million dollars
Comment [O10]: I just changed this because we
just barely used the phrase a year
Deleted: year
Comment [HV11]: This would exist.
Comment [wg12]:
Deleted: Captial
Comment [HV13]: This section is amazing.
Flows so well and all the information is pertinent
nice job!

Whooping Cranes
While Mexican free-tailed bats are flying back home for the winter, hundreds of five-foot-tall
whooping cranes are landing in Port Aransas, Texas. These majestic birds migrate all the way
from Alberta, Canada, to their private sanctuary in the Aransas Wildlife Refuge, a total of 2,500
miles.
Conservationists created the Aransas Wildlife Refuge to protect the endangered
whooping cranes, as there were fewer than 15 left in the 1940s. Today, efforts made by the
International Crane Foundation (ICF) have helped the cranes repopulate to over 600.

Comment [O14]: Chicago 7.78

Deleted:
Comment [O15]: Chicago 10.30, 6.46

Comment [O16]: Changed this so there were

fewer ins in the sentence
Deleted: that

In support of the conserving efforts of the ICF, Port Aransas is celebrating the 19 th
Annual Whooping Crane Festival. At the festival, environment-friendly vendors sell
photographs, paintings, and other forms of whooping crane art to the thousands of
participants.

Deleted: had fallen below 15 in number in

At the festival, spectators can also take boating or hiking tours to witness the rare
whooping cranes dance and sing. During their dance, the whooping cranes flip grass and small
pebbles while they toss their heads and flap their wings to attract a mate. They are a rarity
among birds and are one of the longest-living birds to date due to the conservation efforts by
the ICF.

Deleted: for

Monarch Butterflies
There is another famous migration route that passes over the vast plains of Texas. This route
stands as the monarch of all North American continental migrationsthe route of the monarch
butterfly. Beginning in March, hundreds of thousands of monarchs depart from Morelia,
Mexico, in search of the milkweed plants on which they will lay their eggs.
Monarch butterflies find the milkweed plant by sensing its grape-soda-like odor in the
wind with their fine-tuned antennas. Milkweed plants thrive all over the countryside, but are
especially concentrated along the banks of the San Antonio River. During the migration, the San
Antonio Rivers banks become burnt with shades of black and orange.

Comment [HV17]: Would a period be better

here? We dont want to overuse exclamation points.
Comment [O18]: When is the festival
happening? This winter? Next spring?

Comment [O19]: I only changed this because

you say spectators again in the next sentence. You
could also say patrons or visitors if you like
those phrases better.
Deleted: spectators
Comment [O20]: Longest living as in each
individual bird has a long lifespan? Or the species
has been around for a long time? I would maybe
clarify a little.
Deleted:
Comment [HV21]: I love that there are so many
tours available to see the wildlifegreat info.
Comment [O22]: See Chicago 8.127 for rules on
the capitalization of animal names
Deleted: M
Deleted: M
Comment [O23]: Chicago 6.46, 10.30
Deleted: where
Deleted: The
Deleted:

Locals and tourists alike admire these amber waves of insects (not grain) that flock
through the fields of San Antonio. Residents of San Antonio are known to post artistic photos of
their Firsts of the Season, also known as an FOS, to Facebook, Instagram, or other social media
platforms. Monarch connoisseurs like Monika Maelke love to share the differentiations in
migration patterns each season through photos captured in milkweed fields across the Lone
Star State.

Comment [O24]: Love this sentence!

In Whitney, Texas, residents celebrate the annual Monarch Butterfly Nature Festival to
recognize the artistic scenes of the monarchs migration. Most of the festival includes casual
hikes to capture photos of the event, but the festival also encourages spectators to compete in

Deleted: they

Comment [HV25]: Haha, yes.

Deleted: s
Deleted: along

Deleted: M

its photo and video contests. Monarch butterflies serve as the festivals main attraction, but
hundreds of other butterfly species native to Whitney splash their colorful wings into the
Monarch mixture.

Deleted: their
Deleted: main attraction of the

Migrations Popular along Texas Coasts and Plains

Mexican free-tailed bats, whooping cranes, and monarch butterflies are only a few of the
dozens of Native American animals that migrate through the massive territory of Texas. Each of
these animals flies through Texas skies, but there are other animals that migrate across Texas
by either land or water. Texas provides a warm winter homeland for hundreds of species across
North America; these species help to define Texas as a vital destination where visitors can see
interesting wildlife.
Sidebar Information: Conservation centers like the ICF are working together to preserve
migration patterns by maintaining healthy habitats for a variety of migratory species. When
visiting the great state of Texas, always remember to thank these few foundations for their
efforts by obeying their wildlife rules and regulations. If we continue to do our part to help
conserve creatures habitats, we will never lose the experience of animal migrations across
Texas.

Comment [O26]: Parallelism

Deleted: The
Deleted: M

Deleted: landmark to
Comment [O27]: Im not quite sure if you mean
its a destination where visitors can see interesting
wildlife, or if you mean the it is the destination for
the actual wildlife themselves.
Deleted: these
Deleted: all these
Deleted: these