No, not me hopefully ... my garden! Our palm tree is fruiting, and drawing bats from near and far. Two huge bunches of fruit have kept these little guys in food for a couple of months now. Ripening at totally different times, with just a week or two between, and with the fruit at all different stages on the bunch, they'll be at it for a few more weeks at least.
Until now I haven't been able to catch a photo ... they fly off as soon as they hear me coming.
Last night though, one little guy stayed and with the help of Kieran's huge torch ~ a great Christmas gift from his Dad ~ we lit up the backyard like daylight, and managed to get these shots!
These aren't 'bats' ... they're Flying Foxes, also known as fruit bats. Fruit and small insects are their diet, and orchardists have to net their fruit so they don't lose it all.
This one wasn't huge, but his wingspan would have been about two and a half feet!
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| This is the fruit! The whole bunch would be about two and a half feet long, and it weighs a ton! Well, figuratively! |
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| This is great ~ you can see the hooks he uses to hold himself ... one's crossing the spine of the dead palm leaf, and the other is just to the left of the fruit! And even though he's sideways, he's looking directly at the camera. |
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| I love this shot too ... he's reaching up so he can pull himself along! |
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| Hanging by his hind legs again, one eye shines and he's looking up and a bit to the side ... isn't that the most gorgeous, amazingly-coloured fur? |
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| Here he is! Beautiful! Beautiful! Beautiful!! |
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