redbird: a butterfly, wings folded, resembling the letter V (leaf)
Redbird ([personal profile] redbird) wrote2005-09-22 07:30 pm

Bats

A small flock of bats is flying over the school and convent/yoga center on Isham Street at dusk. I've seen them two nights in a row, when I came home at about the same time.

Yesterday I was walking up Isham, between Cooper and Seaman, when I heard a few high-pitched calls and saw dark wings circling overhead. I wasn't sure at first whether they were bats or swallows; a passer-by confirmed them as bats. I sat on the bench and watched them dart away from the school roof, and back toward it, for a few minutes, until they stopped returning. I stopped at Seaman and Isham to see if I could spot anything, and didn't, but someone else asked what I was looking for. When I told him, he expressed surprise--but I've seen bats overhead in Yonkers, while visiting [livejournal.com profile] supergee, [livejournal.com profile] nellorat, and [livejournal.com profile] womzilla, and [livejournal.com profile] cattitude and I saw one in a tree in Inwood Hill Park, during the day, a few years ago.

Tonight I was walking up Seaman from 207th when I saw them. I'd guess at least 20, maybe more: dark against the blue evening sky, very fast, they flew out over the street to above the trees of Isham and Inwood Parks, then back, over and over. Half a dozen flew off to the north; I saw one or two go south or west, and the rest disappeared from view after a bit. My guess is that those, and most or all of the flock last night, went east or south, where I couldn't see behind buildings, because I wouldn't expect a flock of bats to settle in to roost as it was getting dark.