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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Day flying bat Wales (2 Viewers)

Dawsy

Well-known member
I saw this bat flying in broad daylight (1pm) earlier this week in north Wales in a wooded area. Is there enough in the picture to identify the species?

Michael
 

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It certainly looked larger than the default pipistrelle but beyond that I couldn't say much about size. Descriptions I've seen of noctule mention fast, high and direct flight. This one was flying almost casually, looping around the same area for several minutes hunting insects. Is that inconsistent with noctule?

Michael
 
Hi Michael,

Descriptions I've seen of noctule mention fast, high and direct flight. This one was flying almost casually, looping around the same area for several minutes hunting insects. Is that inconsistent with noctule?

I'm not a bat expert, but I made a very similar observation to yours earlier this year, seeing a bat circling over the street, houses and gardens, and finally an adjacen meadow, in broad daylight at 2 pm. I had a good impression of its size, and came to the conclusion it was indeed a noctule.

Unfortunately, I had forgotten the camera battery in the charger, so I have no good photo! :-(

I talked to a bat expert about this, and he said that it is not uncommon to see bats hunting in daylight if the nights are cold, which makes it hard for them to find insects. He also mentioned that sparrowhawks pose a threat to bats in daylight ...

Previously, I have seen noctules hunting in the evening several times, and they were generally circling most of the time. In one case, noctules and a couple of Barn Swallows were flying very similar "patterns" fairly high up on a summer evening, obviously "working" the same swarm of insects.

I'd speculate noctules might generally fly at the same height as Barn Swallows under similar conditions if they tend to hunt the same prey.

Regards,

Henning
 
It certainly looks like a Noctule to me too.

I've seen Pipistrelle Bats hunting just below the peak of Kirkstone Pass (Lake District) on a foggy October afternoon and Daubentons hunting low over a large pond on a sunny July afternoon around 4pm. Nature often throws things at us like this to make us think ''What the...?'' :king:
 
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