Flying Foxes Along the Yarra

PAT · 19 Jan 2013

I took this photo on my phone so it isn\'t great but I thought some of you might be interested. My sister thought it would be a good idea to go for a walk along the Yarra river (Melbourne\'s equivalent of the Thames or the Hudson) last Friday on one of the hottest days this year. It was even too hot for the colony of flying foxes that live here (probably no more then 10kms from the cbd) because they were really restless. I\'ve never seen them so active during the day and it was cool to watch as the fluttered their wings and even took little splashes in the water to cool down.

PAT · 19 Jan 2013

Here are a couple more photos taken on my phone. I apologise for the quality and normally with photos like this I'd try and find a relevant discussion and post them as attachments but there isn't really anything to do with this elsewhere in the forum.

zooboy28 · 19 Jan 2013

Very interesting photos PAT, were these taken right in Melbourne itself? Do you know what species they are?

PAT · 19 Jan 2013

I'm pretty sure they're grey-headed flying foxes (the species most often kept in zoos over here).
They live in the middle of Kew, one of Melbourne's most expensive suburbs, and have prime real estate along the part of the Yarra that flows next to Yarra Bend Golf Club. Here's a map that I've set an arrow on if you're interested.
https://maps.google.com.au/maps?q=-...145.00803&spn=0.07284,0.210629&num=1&t=m&z=13

Chlidonias · 19 Jan 2013

they are grey-headed flying foxes. They also have a camp in the Botanic Gardens.

zooboy28 · 19 Jan 2013

Thanks for the map PAT, there are so many golf courses in that area!

I found this information about the colony, which was relocated there from the Botanical Gardens in 2003.

http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/plants-an...ome-page/flying-foxes-melbournes-flying-foxes

Chlidonias · 19 Jan 2013

I hadn't realised the Botanic Gardens colony had been completely "relocated". Apparently the Yarra Bend colony is now being complained about by neighbouring property owners and they are trying (or considering) "nudging" to move it again (i.e. causing disturbance to the colony to make the colony boundaries move).

PAT · 19 Jan 2013

Chlidonias said:
I hadn't realised the Botanic Gardens colony had been completely "relocated". Apparently the Yarra Bend colony is now being complained about by neighbouring property owners and they are trying (or considering) "nudging" to move it again (i.e. causing disturbance to the colony to make the colony boundaries move).

There was a sign about that along the path. Apparently it's being done at the ends of the colony to stop it spreading up and down river closer to where people live. In about 2003 this colony grew into the tens of thousands and part of it had to be relocated then.

Flying Foxes Along the Yarra

PAT

PAT

zooboy28

PAT

Chlidonias

zooboy28

Chlidonias

PAT

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