General News
13 April, 2023
Going a little bat-ty
A LARGE group of grey-headed flying foxes have decided to roost in trees of Lismore, confusing many locals and visitors.
A LARGE group of grey-headed flying foxes have decided to roost in trees of Lismore, confusing many locals and visitors.
Grey-headed flying foxes are listed as vulnerable in Victoria, and known colonies nearby include in Colac, Woorndoo, Warrnambool and Geelong.
They are, however, known to seasonally disperse from more permanent camps.
Lismore local Xan Colman said the flying fox numbers were “in the thousands”.
“I haven’t counted them, but there’s so many they would defy counting,” he said.
“One night, I woke up in the morning to what I thought was an unusually loud birdsong, maybe a mob of corellas around.
“Then I looked outside, and I discovered it was bats.”
Grey-headed flying foxes usually roost near a permanent source of water and around vegetation.
According to the State-Wide Integrated Flora and Fauna Teams (SWIFFT), the flying fox mating season peaks from March to April and usually involves individuals from differing colonies.
Mr Colman said there were some disadvantages to the group being so close to his home, such as the noise and smell, but is not concerned about their presence.
“I wish they were a little bit further away from my back door, but I’m hoping it’s just a bit of seasonal fluctuation,” he said.