Flying Mice!

[redcollective]

Okay - I was out this evening giving myself the heebie-jeebies while out walking through the woods in the dark (cmon- moon where are ya?) when I saw something little and moth-like ( but way too big) flutter in an arc from a big oak I think it was - silhouetted against the dull glow from the town lights. I finally realised it must a be a bat! (First uk bat sighting for me so please forgive the enthusiasm). I stopped to watch for a while and saw several, then saw a much bigger bat-thing flop a bit more lazily away from the trees out over an adjoining field, doing some pretty impressive areobatics, I presume feeding?

What hope is there of finding out what they were? I cant actually see much but a silhouette and even that is pretty indistinct. Any advice? West Yorkshire if that is any clue to distribution?

 

[JonnyP]

Okay - I was out this evening giving myself the heebie-jeebies while out walking through the woods in the dark (cmon- moon where are ya?) when I saw something little and moth-like ( but way too big) flutter in an arc from a big oak I think it was - silhouetted against the dull glow from the town lights. I finally realised it must a be a bat! (First uk bat sighting for me so please forgive the enthusiasm). I stopped to watch for a while and saw several, then saw a much bigger bat-thing flop a bit more lazily away from the trees out over an adjoining field, doing some pretty impressive areobatics, I presume feeding?

What hope is there of finding out what they were? I cant actually see much but a silhouette and even that is pretty indistinct. Any advice? West Yorkshire if that is any clue to distribution?

Sounds like a bat, they are great, get quite a lot of em round here, love to watch em. Small ones are usually pipetrelles, but I am no expert...........?

 

[British Red]

Hard to tell em apart except for size. We have long ears (in the loft ) and pippis round here in great numbers but the first is normally known as "sheeet" as they pass 6" above my head. BB calls em "flittermice" which I think should be adopted as a default term

Red

 

[JonnyP]

Here is a flittermouse we found down in devon..........

 

[Goose]

You could get yourself a bat detector, a good one (if you know how to use it properly) can tell you what species they are as their calls are distinctive. Try the local rangers, around here they are pretty good and run bat walks and bring along bat detectors and experts. The detectors can be fairly expensive though, but we don't need one as my daughter can hear the bats without any help! :borgsmile

 

[JonnyP]

You could get yourself a bat detector, a good one (if you know how to use it properly) can tell you what species they are as their calls are distinctive. Try the local rangers, around here they are pretty good and run bat walks and bring along bat detectors and experts. The detectors can be fairly expensive though, but we don't need one as my daughter can hear the bats without any help! :borgsmile

Yes, youngsters can hear bats, I can still hear the odd bit here and there, but a bat detector will do the job, but you can get them cheap, or make your own, will tell more when my head is not swimming with glenmorangie and I can find links..............

 

[chas brookes]

here is a good link with lots of info on bats

http://www.bats.org.uk/

 

[EdS]

around here you have to keep ducking at night as the bats assume they have right of way. And there is rather a lot of them.

 

[gregorach]

Bats are cool.

Mind you, I'll never forget seeing fruit bats in Australia - they're absolutely huge. When one of those drops out of a tree right next to you and flaps off, you really know about it! Almost needed fresh trousers the first time that happened...

 

[loz.]

Bats are cool.

Mind you, I'll never forget seeing fruit bats in Australia - they're absolutely huge. When one of those drops out of a tree right next to you and flaps off, you really know about it! Almost needed fresh trousers the first time that happened...

COncur with that - Saw fruit bats in Animal Kingdom in Florida - There were like winged rabbits !! - must have a yard wingspan ( tip to tip ) easily !

 

[bent-stick]

Yes, youngsters can hear bats, I can still hear the odd bit here and there, but a bat detector will do the job, but you can get them cheap, or make your own, will tell more when my head is not swimming with glenmorangie and I can find links..............

I'm sure we made a bat detector when I worked at electronics today. I might still have the plans for it in my attic. Problem is it probably has valves it was so long ago. You can probably get single chip heterodynes now.

 

[dave k]

Bats are cool.

Mind you, I'll never forget seeing fruit bats in Australia - they're absolutely huge. When one of those drops out of a tree right next to you and flaps off, you really know about it! Almost needed fresh trousers the first time that happened...

I remember sitting in my grandparents backgarden in Hornsby, watching them fly out to the sunset. You'd clap, and they would all change direction!

 

[seany boy]

Hi everyone
i was out in Gambia a while back and saw huge Fruit Bats over there, really amazing.
Funny thing happened though, the first one i saw flew overhead as i was talking to one of the locals and i could'nt help but comment "god look at the size of that Bat!" Well seeing i was impressed he obviously felt the need to further enhance my experience and said " yes they come and steel my chickens".Well i didn't want to offend him but it was a real stuggle not to laugh . Cant help wondering how many people he's managed to terrify with storys of carnivorous Fruit Bats

 

[JonnyP]

Here is a link to making your own bat detector link, still going to cost £35 though, cheapest shop bought one is about £50, but all you hear is the bats clicking, you need to understand the different types of clicking, that each species of bat do. You can spend a bit more and get one of these. I think this one converts the clicking into English for you..........
Just found one for 52 euros http://www.batdetektor.de.vu/

 

[ilan]

We were fortunate to see some bats in our local park , if you can get near some water they can often be seen in the beam of good torch shone parall to the surface of the water . They are very acrobatic however i think they will be going into "Hibernation " soon. They dont actually hibernate but slow the heart beat down to about 15 beats per min .