Every evening at dusk, thousands of fruit bats fly over our house on their way to forage for food.
These creatures are huge, with wingspans up to one metre. Sometimes called Flying Foxes because of their size and appearance, they are one of the largest bats in the world.
Some years ago, wild weather swept a bunch into South Australia from their usual habitats on the east coast. They took up residence in the Parklands that surround Adelaide’s CBD where they multiplied rapidly.
Now, each evening they provide an eerily silent display as they head off to the market gardens to the northeast where they wreak havoc with the crops.
Some nights, they are only 50 feet above our roof. Occasionally they cause local blackouts as they get entangled with overhead power lines.