Is anybody else a fan of bat rescue in Australia?

[FayRose]

I think they're beautiful in their battish way.

We have little bats here, not sure which species but they are tiny little jobs. They actually roost on our loft and have been there for at least 20 years.

To give you an idea of the size, this happened some years ago when lab BJ was alive.
I was about to pick up his bowl to prepare his evening meal and thought there was a leaf in it, in the water but BJ seemed to be transfixed with this leaf. On picking up the bowl, I realised that is was a baby bat, furtunately not yet drowned but a bit waterlogged. About the size of a red admiral butterfly. I gently dried him off (wearing gardening gloves) and placed him on a bush close to the side of the house they leave the roost from.
I didn't see the going of him but he was certainly gone by 10 that night. We have had quite a few get into the house during warm summer nights and they always get out safely.

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

We have little bats here, not sure which species but they are tiny little jobs.

The adult micro bats are teeny, I can imagine that the babies do look just like a bit of leaf!

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

MEGABAT

The main lady I watch on YB, her channel is "Megabattie". Her name is Meg and she rescues bats so "Megabattie". Her erstwhile sidekick is named "Maggie" so it all gets a little confusing, but who cares.

 

[Emily]

Maybe it's the wings or the hanging upside down bit. When I first started watching the videos, the wings freaked me out, but now I think they are beautiful.

They stink! If you're in Melbourne and driving down the Eastern Freeway at dusk, you have to make sure your car windows are closed as the smell is awful!

 

[kateincornwall]

I dont like bats , at all . I wouldnt ever harm any creature but I am terrified of bats . They roost in a big tree in our neighbours garden and are often flitting around at dusk , they freak me out big time x

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

They stink! If you're in Melbourne and driving down the Eastern Freeway at dusk, you have to make sure your car windows are closed as the smell is awful!

That's the breeding age males - it's their way of saying "Hey ladies, here I am."

Apparently the babies smell quite lovely. Or the rescuers have just grown to love the smell?

 

[Lab_adore]

Yes, and apparently a lot of bats and especially babies died in the move. Pretty stupid and sad all around.

Oh..... too sad

 

[UncleBob]

Aren't our dogs amazing in what they can detect with their sense of smell? Well, the lady that teaches scent-work to us for Harvey, also trains dogs to be able to locate bats. You may not think that this is a particularly useful skill but ... bats are protected in the UK and so sometimes it is necessary to 'send in the dogs' to see whether there are any bats in a building that is due to be renovated/demolished. How cool is that?

 

[Oberon]

Here is a nice story about microbat rescue in Australia: Meet the woman who cares for sick and injured bats in her home

In reading this I discovered that flying foxes (aka fruit bats) don't use sonar/echolocation using their voices, but they do make a sound with some part of their wings, and listen to this echoing off things. It's not known how they make the sound though. And it's not as effective as the vocal squeaking. I did not know all that before and had assumed they used squeaks like other bats.

 

[Oberon]

For the bat lovers

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1296561251171131392

 

[Lisa]

I love that !!

 

[Oberon]

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=231194881373841

Origin: https://www.facebook.com/gardeninga...y-bat-munches-on-watermelon-/231194881373841/

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

So cute! Nom, nom...

 

[Jacqui-S]

Looks just like a puppy with big teeth

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Some people call them sky puppies!

 

[Lisa]

I really love bats. Awesome creatures!

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Heh, heh - I was watching this at the auto dealer waiting for my car and the sound was on but I didn't realise it because it was so low. Carbon was looking up at me very grumpily as if to say, "I know you're eating and not sharing, grr!" and I couldn't figure out why.

Now I've just watched it at home where I can hear the nom nom noises and once again Carbon has come up to me and gone away miffed that I'm not sharing. Poor Señor Carbon, jealous of a bat eating watermelon thousands and thousands of miles away (and sometime in the past). But at least I know he's got good hearing !

 

[snowbunny]

It reminds me of Ginny

 

[Cath]

We have bats in our garden, but they are only small. I think they are Common Pipistrelle