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| Large colonies of fruit bats (Indian flying foxes, Pteropus giganteus) roost in the old trees of the Theosophical Society in Adyar. Each evening, usually just before dusk, they leave the roost in waves to forage across the city for fruiting trees. The sight of thousands of bats taking flight together was a familiar sight for me when I used to have a daily evening commute across the bridge. After a long time, I was on the bridge at the right time, a couple of evenings ago. Nice to see them thriving. |
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| For once, I did not mind the slow moving traffic as I watched them glide from east to west, towards the setting sun. What would their hunt bring today I wondered. These fruit eating bats spread to the gardens of the city seeking figs, jamun, and probably the fruits of the False Ashoka. The False Ashoka (Polyalthia longifolia), increasingly common along Chennai’s avenues, bears small olive-like drupes that ripen in late summer and monsoon. These fruits are eaten by bats despite being less conspicuous. |
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| The could fly tens of kms, returning to their home roosts in TS, just before dawn. |
I have never seen the dawn return, but the dusk departure I have caught many a time.
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