Overview
Bat Season is Back!
Just an hour’s drive northwest of Fredericksburg, in the heart of Texas, is an unassuming limestone cave that shelters one of the largest bat nurseries in the nation. About 4 million female bats inhabit the Eckert James River Bat Cave Preserve starting in May and running through September. In the Bat Cave, located southwest of Mason, many of these females give birth to a single pup in June or July that will then join them in flight at about five weeks of age. These pups will remain with their mothers until returning to Mexico in October. Each evening at dusk, the bats emerge from the cave to search for food, putting on an amazing show.
2025 Schedule
Join TNC staff on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings, from May 29, 2025 through August 24, 2025 for open nights at Eckert James River Bat Cave Preserve. You won't want to miss this chance to watch millions of Mexican free-tailed bats emerge from their cave at twilight, forming a batnado right before your eyes!
