An Austin landmark location for watching the bats downtown is now getting a little smaller and much more difficult to get to.

The Austin American Statesman is expanding it's operations -- and that could mean some big changes for those who want to go see the bats.

The land near the Ann Richards Congress Avenue Bridge is being bulldozed to make room for a new warehouse and distribution area.

The renovation will reduce the amount of space where people can watch the bats fly out for their nightly meal.

Jonathan Friedman with Bat Conservation International called it the best place to view the creatures.

"It's become an institution for Austin now because it's really the best place to view the bats," he said.

Austin Resident Connie Spence said it's important to preserve the spot

"It's just a really unique experience coming from an area where I have never been around bats and I was kind of like I don't know if I want to do that but it was really awesome," she said.

The Austin American Statesman owns the land.

For years the paper allowed the public free access, so people could view the bats from this vantage point. The Statesman also allowed bat lovers use of their parking lot during evening hours.

Now the paper needs the land, so the free parking is gone. However, the hill where most bat watchers like to sit underneath the bridge is still open to the public.

A path has been built along the bridge, but because of the distance, it's going to make it more difficult for some like the elderly to get there.

"Kids are with their parents people bring blankets and picnics and stay and wait for the bats so it's great for kids and it's great for people who have difficult access to the bridge people who can't walk up the bridge," said Friedman.

While the Statesman did manage to keep some space open for viewing the bats, future expansion projects could put the entire area in jeopardy.

Terry Bray, the attorney for the Austin American Statesman, said that is years off

"There is nothing planned now. It will probably be a number of years before something like that would happen -- but sometime sooner or later will likely be expanded in that area," said Bray.

Bat experts said the construction will not impact the annual migration of the 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats who call the bridge home from March through November.