Day flying bat?

martyp · #1 (**permalink**) 19-03-2011, 04:58 PM

Hi all,

When walking along the canal today we say a bat flying around in full sun at about 3pm today. It was flying around above the canal, about 15-25 feet in the air. There were some tall trees either side of the canal but it was an urban area with houses behind the trees.

Any ideas on what it could have been or if a normally nocturnal bat, why it might have been out during the day like that? It was flying around and around for a good few minutes while we stood there.

I managed to get video of it on my camera phone but it was too quick to try and get a photo.

nightshade · #2 (**permalink**) 19-03-2011, 05:12 PM

Fast jittery flight, Pipistrelle or the normal water bat, Daubentons. They are waking because of the mild weather and need water to drink and insects to eat after a long sleep using their body fat for energy

glsammy · #3 (**permalink**) 19-03-2011, 05:16 PM

Bats will fly during the day, I know because I managed to capture some shots of a Daubenton's bat flying over the river Trent at 1pm. The warm weather entices them out to catch the early flying insects.

martyp · #4 (**permalink**) 19-03-2011, 05:27 PM

Many thanks both, great explanation. I think it was quite possibly a Pipistrelle as I know they are fairly common in my area and my Auntie's bat detector confirmed the species. It was one of many walks where I decide not to take my camera with me and regret it! The last two times I went out without my camera I saw a Kingfisher... I really must learn!

Excellent photos by the way glsammy, I'm still to discover the art of capturing fast moving animals on camera.

Doggle Avaddit · #5 (**permalink**) 19-03-2011, 05:36 PM

We came across this chap flying over a river last weekend at around 1pm.

Not good photos, but it was a long way away!

sunnydale · #6 (**permalink**) 20-03-2011, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glsammy

Considering how fast bats fly, these are great shots Graham!

Tracey

Burko · #7 (**permalink**) 21-03-2011, 11:21 AM

I was watching some at the back of mine last week, it was great to get a better look at them in the day.
Not sure which species they were, all look the same to me!

Joella52 · #8 (**permalink**) 23-03-2011, 09:43 AM

Delighted to find this thread up and running as only yesterday I took these pictures of, what I thought was a noctule flying around over some woods next to the River Ribble in Lancs.. It was a really large bat -though hard to show that here as nothing to compare to.

It was about 1.30-2pm in the afternoon and it was happily feeding and occasionally swooping down for a drink.

The Woodman · #9 (**permalink**) 23-03-2011, 11:05 AM

It is indeed a noctule with some serious damage to the membranes - right wing teat and leg/tail split. The woods at Red Scar have good populations of noctule and a good place to see them feeding. Was it near there?

Great pictures, you did well there.

thunder · #10 (**permalink**) 23-03-2011, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Woodman

It is indeed a noctule with some serious damage to the membranes - right wing tear and leg/tail split. Great pictures, you did well there.

Fortunately wing membranes heal remarkably well (and speedily) so the bat should soon show no signs of this damage (unless there is an underlying problem).

henrya