bat cave flight

Straddling the Arizona Canal at the base of the Phoenix Mountains is the Phoenix Bat Cave. Parking is sparse and along side streets in the nearby residential area.

I showed up around 8pm as the sun started its dip below the horizon line and the crescent moon had taken its place. Walking parallel to the aqueduct for about 50 yards convenes with a nocturnal group of onlookers.

The place is a hidden gem, with the only signs related to the migratory and social patterns of Arizona bats on the overpass fence. The Mexican Free-Tailed Bat is most common, with 10,000 to 20,000 flocking to the area from May to October en route to Central America.

After waiting about 10 minutes, they started emerging as clusters, building to a steady stream of quiet exodus.

It’s important that places like these are built and preserved, as bats are critical to the balance of the ecosystem with their diet of insects, as well as pollination of cacti and agave.