harry eales
Ancient Entomologist
Mid morning today in very bright sunshine and in a very warm day I was out on my local shooting range sighting in a new rifle when my attention was drawn to what I first thought was a bird some 500 yards away.
The flight looked very peculiar for a bird and so I grabbed my binoculars, lo and behold it was a bat and a fairly large one at that. It was obviously hunting for insects flying around a small copse of young Birch Trees, and it approached to within 50 yards of my position.
It was present or rather within view for over half an hour, before disappearing into a dense woodland.
In 60 years of observing nature I have never, ever seen a bat out flying and hunting, except in the hour or so before dark or just after dawn, I've never seen one flying and hunting in bright sunlight. It was much larger then the 'Pip's' I have in my roof space.
Anyone any ideas as to what species it may have been?, the location was near Newcastle International Airport in Northumberland, England.
Harry
The flight looked very peculiar for a bird and so I grabbed my binoculars, lo and behold it was a bat and a fairly large one at that. It was obviously hunting for insects flying around a small copse of young Birch Trees, and it approached to within 50 yards of my position.
It was present or rather within view for over half an hour, before disappearing into a dense woodland.
In 60 years of observing nature I have never, ever seen a bat out flying and hunting, except in the hour or so before dark or just after dawn, I've never seen one flying and hunting in bright sunlight. It was much larger then the 'Pip's' I have in my roof space.
Anyone any ideas as to what species it may have been?, the location was near Newcastle International Airport in Northumberland, England.
Harry
