Earth Notes: Bats Around our Home aka 16WW (2024)
Updated 2024-10-17.2024-01-20: Early
Alison F reported that she observed a bat feeding in Kingston cemetery on Saturday evening around .
2024-03-11: Birds and Bats
There has been an interesting report from Italy of blue tits and greater noctules sharing a home: Dangerous neighbours: Birds and bird-eating bats sharing tree cavities
[russo2024sharing].
2024-03-20: They are back!
22:40Z at least one pip upstream on the Villiers Road bridge over the Hogsmill, and two or three visible downstream; there had been huge clouds of midges earlier. ~11°C. Sunset ~18:15Z.
2024-03-26: Rained Off
20:57Z no bats seen, fairly heavy rain.
2024-04-30: One
20:58Z at least one (likely pip) at the Villiers Road bridge over the Hogsmill, possibly working both sides of the bridge; there had been huge clouds of midges earlier. ~12°C. Sunset ~19:23Z.
2024-05-15: Cusp
20:15Z none at the Villiers Road bridge over the Hogsmill, even though clouds of midges. ~5 bats seen in cemetery over next 10 minutes or so. ~14°C. Twilight. Sunset ~19:47Z.
2024-05-17: Study
20:01Z: open study window, Pettersson bat detector set at 45kHz. Plenty of insects visible airborne. ~17°C. Twilight. Sunset ~19:50Z.
Pass heard at 20:08Z (multiple), loud at 20:09Z (visual contact!). Again 20:10Z loud, 20:13Z loud.
Detector off at 20:30Z.
2024-06-05: Solo
20:57Z one (maybe pip) downstream at the Villiers Road bridge over the Hogsmill, with clouds of midges. ~12°C. Sunset ~20:13Z.
2024-08-19: Study
19:48Z: open study window, Pettersson bat detector set at 45kHz. ~19°C. Cloudy. (Should have been a 'supermoon' tonight!) Sunset ~19:14Z.
Pass heard at 20:04Z (loud, multiple), faint 20:09Z, 20:15Z (loud), 20:28Z (loud).
Detector off at 20:35Z.
2024-08-21: Study
19:08Z: open study window, Pettersson bat detector set at 45kHz. ~18°C. Some cloud. Sunset ~19:10Z.
Pass heard at 19:18Z (faint), 19:35Z (unusually high pitched and fast), then loud, (2 or 3 bats seen out the back by my son, he reports 19:39Z), 20:19Z (faint).
Detector off at 20:30Z.
2024-09-15: Last?
(I am returning the Pettersson bat detector tomorrow morning, so this may be the last of these samples for a while!)
18:02Z: open study window, Pettersson bat detector initially set at 45kHz. ~16°C. Some cloud. Sunset ~18:14Z. Lots of insects about.
Multiple passes heard at 18:35Z (some loud), continuing to 18:40Z (including feeding buzz), 18:43Z to 18:52Z (loud, multiple, visual contact), 18:55Z to 18:57Z (loud, multiple, visual contact), 19:01Z (faint), 19:03Z (faint), 19:06Z (faint), 19:07Z (faint), 19:10Z to 19:15Z (loud, multiple, visual contact, feeding buzz), [19:16Z light rain started, quickly reducing to very light], 19:24Z to 19:29Z (loud, multiple, visual contact), 19:32Z (faint), 19:35Z to 19:38Z (loud, multiple, visual contact), [19:38Z rain intermittently heavier], 19:43Z to 19:49Z (loud, multiple, visual contact, feeding buzz), [19:51Z briefly adjusted down to 35kHz: rain heavier with breakthrough at detector and from typing!], 20:00Z to 20:17Z (loud, multiple, visual contact, feeding buzz).
Visual contact above usually means flying at about my (first floor) window height, ie right in front of me near my eye height when looking out.
Feeding buzz noted when more likely/obvious.
Detector off at 20:20Z.
2024-09-19: Hogsmill
20:56Z at least one pip upstream on the Villiers Road bridge over the Hogsmill, and at least three visible downstream (these may be the same individuals, flying under the bridge); ~17°C, dry, full moon, no cloud. Sunset ~18:06Z.
2024-10-16: Hogsmill Twice
I crossed the Hogsmill a few minutes after sunset, then back much later.
17:14Z: 19°C no bats yet; lots of midges and roosting squawking parakeets. Sunset 17:05Z.
21:38Z 16°C at least three bats downstream and two seen upstream.
References
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