Stretching across the Yolo Bypass floodplain, the Yolo Causeway has aided human travelers driving between West Sacramento and Davis for over a century. In recent decades, the causeway has taken on another usage that’s made it especially popular among wildlife enthusiasts. Believe it or not, this seemingly typical causeway is home to up to 250,000 migratory bats in the summertime, and seeing them fly around the evening sky is an extraordinary sight. Keep an eye out the next time you find yourself driving across the Yolo Causeway. This is a sight to be seen!
Located beneath the Yolo Causeway, the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area is a wetlands oasis that's filled with wildlife. The area is home to all sorts of incredible creatures, but it's probably most well-known for its summertime population of Mexican free-tailed bats.
Every summer, around 250,000 migrating bats settle underneath the Yolo Causeway. You may not notice them during the daytime, but just wait until night falls. It's then that you'll see this massive colony take flight.
The colony has settled in this location every summer since the 1970s. The concrete causeway keeps them nice and warm—perfect for giving birth to little baby bats—and the wetlands boasts plenty of insects for feeding on. Plus, the causeway itself provides ample protection from potential predators.
Seeing the bat colony embark on their nightly flight is a popular pastime for wildlife enthusiasts in the area. Flying through the evening sky in one large, ribbon-like group, these "batnadoes" are definitely a sight to remember.
In fact, tours to see the bats are given by the Yolo Basin Foundation and they are extremely popular. Offered typically from mid-June through September, visitors are treated to a 45-minute outdoor presentation followed by the colony's "fly out" at dusk.
However, a tour is not completely necessary for seeing this bat colony yourself. There are plenty of spots located along the causeway where you can park and have a solo viewing of the colony's nighttime flight. Feel free to swing by the Yolo Bypass headquarters to ask about prime bat viewing spots!
It's not very often you get to see a quarter of a million bats fly across the evening sky. See this breathtaking display for yourself and make it your mission to see the Yolo Causeway bat colony as they return this summer!
