Bats have never been a particularly popular member of the animal kingdom, and in the age of COVID, their approval rating has dropped dramatically. But bats are actually really cool, and helpful, and there's a place in Phoenix where you can watch them head out for their nightly feeding. The Phoenix Bat Cave is a flood-control tunnel off the canal path near Camelback Road and 40th Street. Each May through October, a colony of Mexican free-tailed bats (estimates put the population of the colony somewhere between 5,000 and 20,000) leaves the cave around sunset in search of food. Stand quietly at the fence, and you'll see the bats emerge from the tunnel and fly off into the darkening skies. It's a tiny, magical moment that offers a closer brush with nature than we usually get in our concrete-covered metropolis. As you walk back to your vehicle along the canal, you'll get a second look at the bats; many of them hover near the water to snack on bugs.