Sunday, July 24, 2011

Bats over Faircharm

Pardon the poor photograph - fortunately I have no aspirations to be a photographer - but after watching a solitary bat flying around for about 5 minutes or so outside my Crossfields balcony on Friday it occurred to me that I might be able to get a picture of it.

It's pretty inconclusive but between the white bank of cloud and the pumping station behind Faircharm you should be able to see it in flight.  (I also did a bit of videogling but I'll first need to figure out how to edit and upload the short sequence I managed to take.) 

It is actually the first time I've seen a bat in Deptford and I've no idea what species it was - as you can see from the light it was before sunset.  At about 8:15 pm, I guess it was out for an early breakfast.  It was hunting insects in a fairly compact area over Creekside, the front of the Creekside Centre and over the northern parts of the Faircharm estate.

Has anyone else seen bats on Crossfields?

6 comments:

  1. Count ZeppellinSunday, July 24, 2011

    I've often seen them around twighlight helping themselves to the stragglers coming back to my hives.

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  2. Nothing a developer hates more than bats. If there are bats in your building then there are all kinds of special measures you have to take to make sure you don't disturb them. A lot of these measures apply even if there just might be bats.

    Even more rules apply if you want to demolish.

    Joe R

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  3. I just mentioned bats to the guy who recently moved out from next door and he told me he'd also seen them. So it seems that the balcony looking out over Creekside is a good vantage point. I just wish someone had told me earlier!

    @Count Zeppelin,

    Am I to gather that these hives are where the Deptford Creek honey comes from? And if so, is there any chance of visiting these hives? I'd love to see them.

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  4. @Joe - Hmm, wonder if anyone's told Workspace?

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  5. I have not seen bats on Crossfields, but I have seen them many times over the years at the (now demolished) Creekside Office early evenings, the south end of Watergate Street late evenings and Victoria Wharf, Grove Street early evenings.

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  6. Bat lovers might be interested to know there's a Bat Walk being run by Lewisham's Rivers and People project on Wednesday August 10th, 7.30-9.30 at Beckenham Place Park (meet at the entrance on Old Bromley Road).

    And another one on Tuesday 20th September at 7pm, same place.

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