Sitting by the fast-flowing river this evening, with a beer in hand, as one is wont to do... as the autumn draws closer, so dusk gets earlier and as a result, for the first time, I was in the right place at the right time to see the bats emerging... Noctules, big, high flying, long-winged bats started to appear while it was still light, apparently coming from a roost nearby, probably in a large riverside willow or poplar a little further downstream. One, then another, then another: at one point there were 7 visible at once, hawking high over the city. And then, as it got darker, Daubenton's (I presume) began to appear, much closer, this time emerging from an apparent roost in the bridge itself, coming out in ones and twos, flashing their pale bellies as they disappeared along the river. Finally, from the buildings behind, Pipistrelles appeared, to hawk in swirls and spirals beneath the street lamps.
And all this, right in the centre of the city, a stone's throw from my window.
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