Bat Watching

While everyone else was wathcing fireworks, we strolled into Prospect Park last night at dusk to watch bats.  We had seen a bunch of them last October on our way back from the dog run at the Nethermead. They were especially concentrated over the pond there.

We arrived around 8:20, and sat for around twenty minutes. We saw a lot of fireflies and robins eating fireflies, but no bats. A little disappointed, we headed home across the path that winds down by the Dog Beach. It was around 9:00 pm. About half way down the path, something flitted right over my head. I could feel the air move what little hairs are left on top of my head. A bat? Maybe, but we had also seen a few nighthawks around the pond earlier.

Once we got back on the path winding through the Long Meadow, we hit the jackpot. The first bat we saw was nailing insects above the water at the Dog Beach, occassionally hitting the water ever so lightly. When we got to the open area directly across from the Picnic House, we saw three or four bats circling above.  There was just enough light left so that you could clearly make out the distinctive wing shape, and they were flying  very low. If you've never seen a bat feeding, it's really quite enthralling. Based on the wingspan (8-10"), these were probably little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus), the most common species in the park. However, big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) are also fairly common in New York. The big brown has a wingspan of 12" or more.

Based on our experience, the best areas for bat viewing in Prospect Park are open expanses near water features. Bats will occasionally cluster around street lamps, but this makes them harder to see because of the glare. The best time is probably from 8:45 to about 9:15. There is still enough light in the sky so that you can clearly see the outline of the wings. One way to distinguish bats from night birds is that the flying pattern is very, very different. Bats flight is aerobatic, they change direction constantly in both the vertical and horizontal plane. In addtion, their wings are constantly flapping.

Happy bat watching.

Comments

[kathryn]

for over 10 years now i have lived in ft. washington just above the gw bridge, but until 2 nights ago had never seen a bat. what i thought was bird entered my livingroom at 3am and my cats went wild trying to catch it....however, it was not a bird it was a bat much to my horror. i like bats, i think they are wonderful and i certainly did not want to hurt it but not flying hysterically in circles in my livingroom close to the ceiling fan. it took 40 minutes (after i turned the fan off) much pleading, waving a piece of fabric, a lot of sweating and frantically trying to get the cats in the kitchen, but he finally left after i opened both windows wide. i kept thinking what if he did have rabies and his radar was just terribly dysfunctional...??? he was a small brown bat and happily he was not captured between kitty teeth. it was more than a little creepy for me (he seemed to keep flying towards my head) and probably for the bat. i know the cats loved it though.

[kathryn]

for over 10 years now i have lived in ft. washington just above the gw bridge, but until 2 nights ago had never seen a bat. what i thought was bird entered my livingroom at 3am and my cats went wild trying to catch it....however, it was not a bird it was a bat much to my horror. i like bats, i think they are wonderful and i certainly did not want to hurt it but not flying hysterically in circles in my livingroom close to the ceiling fan. it took 40 minutes (after i turned the fan off) much pleading, waving a piece of fabric, a lot of sweating and frantically trying to get the cats in the kitchen, but he finally left after i opened both windows wide. i kept thinking what if he did have rabies and his radar was just terribly dysfunctional...??? he was a small brown bat and happily he was not captured between kitty teeth. it was more than a little creepy for me (he seemed to keep flying towards my head) and probably for the bat. i know the cats loved it though.

[Christina]

I had a strange event last (Holloween) night. Lying in bed I heard something scratching around in the corner of my bedroom. I tried to investigate in the dark but saw nothing. Upon climbing back into bed a bat emerged and started flying in circle around my room but then hit the wall and fell to the floor. I ran to the kitchen to get a container and was able to safely push the little guy in. After inspecting him a minute I opened the container outside of my window and he flew back out into Prospect park. It was my first time to see a bat up close. Their much cuter than I imagined.

[Die Fledermaus]

That said, I did once have a bat fly into my face (well more like forehead/hairline) when I was a boy at summer camp

Reminds me of the close encounter I had with a squirrel at a school nature hike. The naturalist told everyone to stand really still and be very quiet, and the squirrels would come closer. I stood like a statue, and a large gray squirrel came right up to me, climbed my leg, and finally roosted on my shoulder staring me in the eye. Obviously I screamed like the pathetic little wimp I was.

I think I'd rather have a chiropteran in the face.

[Steve-o]

Wow! What a story. I used to live up that way (when in law school). I was fortunate enough to never have that happen to me, seeing as I lived in one room. No escape for me!

That said, I did once have a bat fly into my face (well more like forehead/hairline) when I was a boy at summer camp trying to make my way to the latrine in the dead of night. Eep! Course, being a 9-year-old boy, I thought it was cool.

[Pipistrelle]

Madame, you handled the situation with grace and aplomb. Leave a door or window open, and 90% of the time, the bat will find the draft and fly back out. And alcohol helps everything.

But I love bats, and I'm so glad you didn't kill it. They eat tons of mosquitoes (1,000 in a hour), so they're nice to have in parks. But in your house, eh, not so much. As for rabies, it's still really rare to get rabies from a bat, way more common from dogs. If you don't pick up hurt or sick bats, there's almost no chance you'd ever get rabies from one.

[MetroMadame]

I cannot believe this, but a bat flew in my bathroom window last night. I live in Riverside Drive in Manhattan, so I'm right on the park. Being one of the few that does not use air-conditioning, the bathroom window was wide-open. While I was watching TV, something flew into my bedroom from the adjoining bath and I could tell by its silence (except for my scream) it was no bird, and furthermore, what bird would be flying into a window at midnight? I ran from the room and closed the door behind me and got a broom. and a drink. and a cigarette. I thought, "maybe they're like moths and like light, and was attracted by the tv light." So I went back in (with my broom) and it was still circling the room. I went to the bathroom and turned on the light, and it went directly in. I shut the door, and continued smoking and drinking while I searched the internet for information. I came across a website called "Upper Manhattan Running Zone" where the blogger says "Did you know there were bats in Manhattan? If you run along the Lower Riverside Mall at nightfall, you can see them darting about just above your head..." No kidding. Back to the bath,I cracked the door and it was sitting on a pipe, red mouth open, and looking around. It was big, brownish in color and confused. I thought, "I'll turn off the light and it will find the window..." Two more drinks later, I returned to crack the door to the bathroom and turned on the light and...nothing. Thank you God. I've closed the window...forever. In my research I've learned that in New York State, Bats are the number three cause of rabies, and they often enter homes.

[Dope]

cruising, wine and cheese, and the Park’s mysterious nocturnal fauna

How could you pass that up? Thanks for the info!

[Eugene Patron]

We in fact do have an escorted Bat Tour at Prospect Park! It is part of our summer Twilight Tours:

Enjoy an evening of strolling and cruising, wine and cheese, and the Park’s mysterious nocturnal fauna. Boat ride on the electric boat Independence followed by guided exploration into the lives of one of the parks most elusive residents -- bats!

Thursdays: July 6, 13, 27; August 3, 10
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Prospect Park Audubon Center
$25 per person. Tours fill up fast, so make reservations early! (718) 287-3400 x114.

[Roger B.]

Have you tried using a bat detector? See http://www.alanaecology.com/acatalog/Bat_Detector_Information.html

[Dope]

I'd love to see them in the park, but wouldn't go there at night unless I was in a good-sized group. Do you know of any outings?

No, but maybe I'll organize one. There were still quite a few families BBQing and such, so we felt pretty safe last night.

[Da Nator]

Very cool! The last time I tried to watch a bat feeding was in Costa Rica, and it nearly drove me blind. We were watching Arenal volcano dribbling hot rocks in the dark when I caught a blur of something from the corner of my eye. Mrs. Nator was able to follow it and insisted it was a bat feeding, but the little bugger was so fast it took me nearly ten minutes to get a good look at it and verify. I will say that it was as fun to watch as the lava!

I'd love to see them in the park, but wouldn't go there at night unless I was in a good-sized group. Do you know of any outings?