Who's afraid of the big black bat?

Most people freak out when I tell them I walk home at night through the park near my house but I love it. I love, love, love walking home at night. Why? I used to be so afraid to. The reason I love it is because of the bats. Sydney has a HUGE fruit bat population and they are so fun to watch and listen to as they fight over fruit in the trees. At night, when I'm walking home, I feel much less scared if I can hear them up in the trees. I kind of feel like they are watching over me.

The other day, on my way to work, I found one fried in some telephone wires. He was stuck, all crisped up, holding on to two separate wires, suspended in between. I felt pretty bad for him but it was also really cool to see one so close and during the day. My only other encounter here with a bat was about 2 years ago when I was walking home from the pool at night. A bat dropped down from a tree right in front of me and we both screamed (the bat and me) before he flew off!

But they really are harmless. And kind of cute. In the summer, they can be seen in the thousands leaving the botanic gardens from the center of the city and moving west to feast of the fig trees in the suburbs. Sometimes I can catch their migration on my way home. It's an amazing sight to see!

Here's a short video of them leaving the city at night:

Not my picture.

For more information about Sydney's fruit bats, click here.