[Bristol-Birds] Bats
- From: "Michelle Brown" <mbrown@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "bristol-birds" <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2007 11:22:17 -0400
I am home today doing those things that I avoid so well. House cleaning,
organizing and so on.
I have a tree trimming company making quite a bit of noise trying to free those
mighty powerlines from the limbs of a few large trees. My dogs have been upset
and barking all morning. I have been frequently poking my head out the back
door and giving them the look that says PLEASE SHUT IT!!! My last head poking
found me searching the yard for the dogs and then following their gazes up into
a large maple tree where several birds were scolding some invisible creature.
I grabbed the binocs expecting a Coopers that had perhaps landed lunch and was
enjoying his meal in my yard.
I scanned the tree and tried to focus on the area that the robins and jays were
swarming. No Coopers. Instead I found a clump of fuzz with smooth webbed
wings wrapped around the fuzz. There are at least four bats clumped together
trying to snooze. I assume they just flew into the tree given the sudden chaos
that was taking place regarding their presence. I now wonder if the protection
of the mighty powerlines on the power companies part has destroyed a cavity or
roosting tree for these little guys. I did not know that bats would roost on
top of one another. They look like they are cuddling;-) I also did not know
that birds would be so annoyed by the presence of a small bat. Anyone out
there an expert on bats??? I would love to know more about this clumping
behavior and perhaps what species I might be looking at. I looked in my
Peterson's Mammal guide and there are quite a few bats in the area. They are a
bit to high up for me to get a good look. Very interesting...
Michelle King
Blountville, TN
Sullivan Co.
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