I was whining that I wanted to go see some
animals but since we are Bosley sitting there are limited dog friendly animal reserves (actually none). We decided on just going up to Studley Park and having a picnic. The place was chocked full by the time we got there and there was no where to park so Matt drove around to a less populated area, Yarra Bend, that was still doggy friendly. What I didn't know was this is home to a community of 30,000 grey headed flying foxes (aka fruit bats). The trees are absolutely full of them and they are awesome to watch. They hang upside down because they expend much less energy than they would if they tried to sit upright. They sleep and stretch and preen each other while making a fare bit of squeaking noise. Many people see these lovely little creatures as pests. There were stupid golfers from the golf course next door hitting balls at their tress while we were there. What a lot of people fail to realize is how importa
nt these bats are. According to Victorians Advocate for Animals president Lawrence Pope "After bushfires, they help revegetation by carrying 50 times more pollen than birds and bees." They are also vital to the timber industry. Flying foxes can travel over 100km a night not only spreading the pollen that collects in their fur but seeds from the fruit they have eaten. I think they are beautiful with very cute little faces. There are walking trails that follow along the river right under the trees some of the thousand of bats are hanging in. It was a wonderful surprise to see these fantastic creatures hanging out in their natural habitat.
animals but since we are Bosley sitting there are limited dog friendly animal reserves (actually none). We decided on just going up to Studley Park and having a picnic. The place was chocked full by the time we got there and there was no where to park so Matt drove around to a less populated area, Yarra Bend, that was still doggy friendly. What I didn't know was this is home to a community of 30,000 grey headed flying foxes (aka fruit bats). The trees are absolutely full of them and they are awesome to watch. They hang upside down because they expend much less energy than they would if they tried to sit upright. They sleep and stretch and preen each other while making a fare bit of squeaking noise. Many people see these lovely little creatures as pests. There were stupid golfers from the golf course next door hitting balls at their tress while we were there. What a lot of people fail to realize is how importa
nt these bats are. According to Victorians Advocate for Animals president Lawrence Pope "After bushfires, they help revegetation by carrying 50 times more pollen than birds and bees." They are also vital to the timber industry. Flying foxes can travel over 100km a night not only spreading the pollen that collects in their fur but seeds from the fruit they have eaten. I think they are beautiful with very cute little faces. There are walking trails that follow along the river right under the trees some of the thousand of bats are hanging in. It was a wonderful surprise to see these fantastic creatures hanging out in their natural habitat.
