Eckert James River Bat Cave

The Eckert James River Bat Cave Preserve is one of the largest bat nurseries in the country. About 4 million female bats inhabit the site from May through September. Most of these are pregnant when they arrive. In the Bat Cave, females give birth to a single pup in June or July. The young bats grow rapidly and are able to fly at about five weeks of age. However, they will remain with their mothers until they return to Mexico in October.

About an hour or two before sunset, hundreds of bats flutter and chirp around the mouth of the cave. Slowly, a stream of bats emerges and flies in a large circle, low to the ground, just outside the cave entrance. These bats gradually spiral upwards and form a dark funnel of flying mammals, reaching several hundred feet into the evening sky. The bats at the top of the spiral break off, forming columns that stream out over the countryside. This seemingly impossible torrent of bats forms a densely packed "bat tornado" for about an hour.

The site is southwest of Mason, near State Highway 290 - less than an hours drive from Junction.

Open mid-May to early October for interpretive tours Thursday-Sunday,

6 p.m.-9 p.m. Some sunrise tours of the bats returning from their nocturnal hunts are also offered.

$5 entrance fee. Children 5 and under are free.

For more information, call Vicki Ritter at (325) 347-5970.    

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