Flying city critters

At dusk, the aviators of Cairns city come out for a visit.

Resident # 1 look to be about the size of a rugby ball and millions of them silently fill the sky. Bats. Fruit bats specifically. Also known as flying foxes or mega bats.

My photo!

Some other traveller's photo


Because it's dusk and they move quickly, getting good photos was pretty hard. SP did get an awesome video though. 

For those used to the tiny bats of NA, these ones are quite a different sight (and genetically very different too.) They actually kook like foxes. 

Super Cute

Resident # 2, not to be outdone by there mammalian friends, are colourful, extremely loud and not potty trained. They are lorikeets, and there also must be millions.

Fallen feathers.

Lorikeets live in pairs, but often flock as a big group. They also come in a a range of colorings. The locals know which trees the birds like and often those are the only vacant parking spots in the city. 

Because my photo was kinda dark, here is a much better one care of the internet. 

Credit for the cute photo.

I'm not much of a bird photographer, but the number of avian city residents is really amazing. 

Fantails

Masked Lapwings

Whimbrels

The pigeon below is about the size of a golf ball. And true to pigeon form, they barely move when you come close.

There are also magpies, doves , seagulls, and countless others. (BTW, When we were in NZ, SM was our bird expert, but now I have to look these up by myself, so mistakes are highly likely.)

----
Addendum

SP and I are boarding a boat in 20 minutes and spending the next 3 days diving the Great Barrier Reef. Likely we won't have internet access.

While the blog might seem on hiatus, I'll still be writing and the blog will get updated once we are back on dry land.

In the mean time, if you are looking for something to do, why not send me a question, or a comment on what you've liked or what isn't working with the blog. (Email or whatever.)

Cheers,
-E