Today, despite the wind, I decided that I would take evening stroll with my bat detector. I knew the patch I wanted to visit, a nearby canal tunnel that comes out onto a wooded area. It is always teeming with bats and tonight was no different.
Using my bat detector I was able hear and identify the bats as Common and Soprano Pipistrelles. As they whipped overhead I was also able to see and film them.
I did take the time to just watch these tiny flying mammals. A few swirled around where I stood while others darted down the tree line. Bats are fascinating creatures with incredible aerobatic skills. This was a truly thrilling experience!
On my holiday to Australia in February, I had the good fortune to be able to photograph many different species of wildlife. The colourful and often noisy birds, cute mammals, fascinating lizards and the many species of gorgeous insects I encountered will, I hope, all be blogged about in the near future.
Today I am sharing with you the photos I took of the mammals and marsupials I was lucky enough to see on my holiday! I have also put together a video of the flying foxes I was thrilled to see.
I have previously posted a blog about my visit to a nature reserve in Wingham, roosting site for 3 different species of flying foxes. If you want to check it out, please click HERE!
One marsupial I haven’t included here is the koala, I may not have seen one in the wild but I did visit the Koala Hospital in Port Macquarie. That will be a future blog
During my recent trip to Australia, I had been told about a nature reserve in a small place called Wingham. Only a few miles down the road. I thought it was worth checking out.
I was given instructions on how to get there and for a view point to stop at. It looked across the Manning River Valley, rolling hills and lush green farm land. It was worth the stop!
Onwards to Wingham Brush Nature Reserve! I pulled up into the dry mud car park, a little greeting sign and a small wooden gate marked the place. There was something that reminded me of the little nature reserves I visit at home in the UK.
I was more than a little excited about visiting this place, I had been told that there were some rather special inhabitants here … flying foxes!
I walked up the boardwalk and along into the reserve. Bush turkeys strolled around without a care that I was there, I even watched one digging into its huge mound of a nest, clearly preparing to lay! I saw a small colourful moth, listened to the eerie calls of Australian ravens and admired the giant stinging trees the entrance sign warned me about. Where were these flying foxes? I kept one eye on the boardwalk and the other on the tree canopy. I kept walking, trying to take it all in slowly, absorb the sights, sounds and smells around me. But I was a little impatient to find these flying foxes.
I started to be able to hear them, their high pitched squabbles. I was getting near! I caught a glimpse of upside-down bodies in the distant canopy, I hurried along the path and all of a sudden I was in the middle of a roost!
High in the canopy the bats hung restfully, a few were waking up and stretching out their huge wings, occasionally making their squabbling calls at each other. In some areas the resting bats hung, using their wings to fan themselves. In other areas, they were far more lively, clambering over each other and taking short flights.
I could not escape the fact that as I walked quietly along the boardwalks looking up, the bats hung in the roost looking straight down at me. There were many more curious eyes looking down at the two looking up!
I eventually had to leave, I had to drag myself away! It was hard, I could have stayed there the rest of the day and the next. But if nothing else, my neck ached from looking up! The boardwalk opened out onto the river bank, and a short walk up the river bank I was back at the dry mud car park I arrived at. I decided to have a look around the town of Wingham. There was only one shop open when I arrived, not that that mattered to me as my attention was grabbed by the flock of galahs. The galahs were foraging in the grass of the town square. I also stopped to admire a beautiful flowering bush at the edge of the square, on closer inspection I noticed tiny bees visiting the unique flowers.
It was a day packed with fascinating and beautiful wildlife, I returned back to my accommodation tired. I slept deeply that night, dreaming of the mischievous squabbles and curious faces of those fabulous flying foxes!
As you may have seen on my twitter feed, I had the opportunity to visit Australia for a few weeks at the end of February.
Unsurprisingly my photograph for February is from Australia. I chose this photo not only because it is unlikely I will be able to post a photo of a wild flying fox anytime soon, but it makes me smile! I love that it was clearly watching me watch it!
Stepping out at dusk, I took a walk through farmer’s fields. As I admired the warm colours of the darkening skies I was spotted by a group of lambs. Their curious nature lead them to come up to me to take a closer look, and for a time I was completely surrounded! It didn’t take them long to lose interest and charge back towards their bale of hay.
Continuing my walk, I passed though a church yard. Digging out my bat detector, I was able to listen to the bats forage among the trees. The aerobatic flight of bats never cease to mesmerise me!
Returning home I had my last crepuscular moment for the evening, a lovely little hedgehog!
lulovelock 