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Mammals - Bat Page 1

Image Taken on 11 Jul 2025 at 00:39    Image of day on 02 Sep 2025

We sometimes see bats in the CCTV system at the front of the house & access track, but here 100m away at the Duck Pond we see two fluttering by. The Badger is large enough to trigger the IR thermal sensor and we got lucky with just this one frame of 3 showing them.
Normally light specks in nighttime CCTV images are moths close to the camera, and completely 'burnt out' by being close to the IR illuminator. But these have texture in the white and anyway 'look' like bats!


Ref: 20250902_bu8_20250711_0039_025 badger being flown over by 2 bats (crop))(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 03 Aug 2018 at 04:35    Image of day on 24 Sep 2018

Near the end of the night a Bat breaks the sense beam just as a Plume Moth (species unknown) flies away. Did the Bat miss his prey?


Ref: 20180924_e60_20180803_0435_043_fb3 bat and plume moth in flight(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 27 Jul 2022 at 23:14    Image of day on 09 Sep 2022

Approaching midnight a bat flies over the kitchen window bird table flying towards the window and takes a selfie. The bat is closer to the camera than the woodwork (the Bat casts a shadow from the flash high inside the window) making them look larger than reality.


Ref: 20220909_e60_20220727_2314_029_fb3 bat flying over kitchen bird table (crop)(r+mb id@432).jpg


Image Taken on 10 Jun 2019 at 00:38    Image of day on 25 Jul 2019

Between the first and second little Owl pics we had a frame exposed for no obvious reason. 'Winding up the brightness' found this bat flying at about 3m high behind the post. The extreme lightening avoids the post, which would otherwise appear almost white.


Ref: 20190725_d01_20190610_0038_065_fb6 bat flying past meadow post (heavily processed crop)(r+mb id@432).jpg


Image Taken on 03 Aug 2020 at 03:53    Image of day on 07 Sep 2020

The camera by this pond caught 3 successive frames showing what must be at least 4 Bats hunting. This is the first of the 3 frames. Top right is an enlarged image of the two on the left, with spacing closed up a bit.
Insects close enough to the camera mimic bats and birds in flight are quite common, but close enough to the camera to give this impression are both bright white from the IR illuminator, and badly blurred.
Thanks to the foraging deer for triggering the camera at a suitable moment. We used to actively photograph bats, but that's another story.



Ref: 20200907_bu8_20200803_0353_233 bats flying near duck pond over browsing reeves muntjac deer 1 of 3 (crop + details insert)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 18 Sep 2009 at 19:58    Image of day on 26 Oct 2009

We saw about a dozen bats leaving the loft and got pictures of what we think are Brown long-eared bats. They exit through a long existing hole under the eaves several metres from this point, but this is where they all seem to fly and by the time you have spotted one exiting its too late unless you photograph where they (mostly) go.


Ref: 20091026_d01_20090918_1958_027 brown long-eared (q) bat in flight(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 22 Aug 2010 at 05:28    Image of day on 06 Oct 2010

If you enjoyed the impression, you might find this annotation of the two flight paths of interest. The entrance hole to the loft is in the eaves close to the upper wing tip of the bat at the end of the 'green' sequence.


Ref: 20101006_db1_20100822_0528_002-005 2 brown long-eared (q) bats flying near loft entrance hole 1-4 of 4 (accurate montage annotation)(r+mb id@432).jpg


Image Taken on 22 Aug 2010 at 05:28    Image of day on 06 Oct 2010

Several (what we think are Brown Long-eared) bats were swirling round the house just before dawn. Here we have montaged 4 successive frames taken at about 10 fps of two bats flying in together but going off in different directions. If you want to work out which bat is which yourself work it out now before you get to the annotated image 2 below this one!


Ref: 20101006_db1_20100822_0528_002-005 2 brown long-eared (q) bats flying near loft entrance hole 1-4 of 4 (accurate montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 16 Sep 2007 at 05:48    Image of day on 16 Oct 2007

Now we know where the Brown Long-eared Bats are roosting we can time our expeditions into the cold, dark and windy a bit better and get more chances.


Ref: 20071016_d12_20070916_0548_050 brown long-eared bat (web crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 28 May 2012 at 22:02    Image of day on 24 Jun 2012

An un-fudged single frame of a Brown Long-eared bat flying away from us, with a moon in the corner and our telephone pole in the middle.


Ref: 20120624_db1_20120528_2202_034 brown long-eared bat & moon (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image of day on 22 Aug 2005

In the pre-dawn gloom swoops of white appeared on an Infra-red security camera. Not the usual moths close to the camera but at least 4 Long eared bats hunting at the front of the house. For 15 minutes breakfast got cold while we took several dozen flash images (mostly of where a bat WAS) but this was the most useful for identification. (Another image in a few days.)


Ref: 20050822_p20_1030291 brown long-eared bat 2005aug21_05-12-30(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 24 Jul 2016 at 02:39    Image of day on 07 Sep 2016

A Brown Long-eared Bat photographs itself over the tree-stump at about 2.30a.m.
We don't actively take bat photos any more after threats of prosecution over the use of flash (many times weaker than the bat got unintentionally 'wacked' with here) but there is no point in throwing away accidental photo unrelated to any roost.


Ref: 20160907_d36_20160724_0239_096_fb4 brown long-eared bat in flight (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 03 Aug 2011 at 04:58    Image of day on 17 Sep 2011

This is a Brown Long-eared bat zooming past an upper floor window leaving his shadow on the wall.


Ref: 20110917_db1_20110803_0458_147 brown long-eared bat in flight (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 15 Sep 2010 at 05:59    Image of day on 06 Nov 2010

The upright posture of the bat at the top looks like something out of a Dracula story.
People frightened of bats getting tangled in hair etc. should know that we have spent hours with them flying around our heads and Marie has long fine hair, and although we sometimes feel the breeze of them passing none has ever touched us or our equipment. They seem to 'see in the dark' (echolocate) better than see in the day.


Ref: 20101106_db1_20100915_0559_194 brown long-eared bat in flight (crop)(r+mb id@432).jpg


Image Taken on 05 Sep 2010 at 05:46    Image of day on 28 Oct 2010

And our favourite single frame with all that wonderful texture in the stretched wing membranes.


Ref: 20101028_db1_20100905_0546_098 brown long-eared bat in flight (crop @768)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 12 Sep 2007 at 05:56    Image of day on 26 Sep 2007

Bats are suddenly in evidence. They are difficult to identify even in photos, but we think we are seeing Pipistrelles in the evenings & these brown long-eared some mornings.


Ref: 20070926_d12_20070912_0556_065 brown long-eared bat in flight(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 15 Sep 2010 at 05:54    Image of day on 06 Nov 2010

A morning session photographing bats flying round before entering their roost in our loft is portrayed as this montage over about 5 minutes. Positions are adjusted to avoid overlaps. The house wall is accurately positioned for the bat closest to it (i.e. from the same frame).


Ref: 20101106_db1_20100915_0554_098+0556_137+138+0559_194+0600_245 brown long-eared bat in flight (5 image montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg


Image Taken on 19 Sep 2009 at 19:50    Image of day on 26 Oct 2009

Next day viewed from the other side of the exit hole using multi-exposure flash we caught these 3 moments of a bats flight here accurately montaged back together. A fixed camera setup with 20m cable release so we could react in time watching from the other side.


Ref: 20091026_d01_20090919_1950_021+022+023 brown long-eared bat in flight (accurate montage single flight at about 5fps)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image of day on 26 Aug 2005

2 Brown Long-eared Bats (see 22 Aug 2005) in a recess of the house. If you can't spot the second it is up and left of the main image against the rafters.


Ref: 20050826_p20_1030337 2 brown long-eared bats 2005aug21_05-21-50(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 03 Sep 2010 at 05:49    Image of day on 28 Oct 2010

Either the bats have suddenly started using the loft again, or they are doing so at a time we can get to see them - about 05:45 in the morning as they return to the roost in the loft. Morning is better than evening for photography as they have a last hunt and often have to 'queue' to squeeze into the entrance under the eaves. In the evening they tend to zoom out of the hole and leave. Here 3 bats flew by the entrance hole hidden under facia top right. We guess there something like 10 bats altogether.


Ref: 20101028_db1_20100903_0549_111 3 brown long-eared bats flying by loft entrance hole 1 of 2 (crop)(r+mb id@1024).jpg


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