While a visit to Katherine Gorge is always memorable, it’s not just the stunning scenery that’s making a big impression on grey nomads at the moment.
An estimated 40,000 to 50,000 little red flying foxes are currently calling the NT’s Nitmiluk National Park home, as they follow blossoming eucalypts around the country.
Senior wildlife ranger John Burke told the media that the bats had been roosting at the park since April. He said it was predominantly a ‘creche colony’ of females with young pups that are learning to fend for themselves, so there was no way to predict how long they would stay.
“The little red flying foxes turned up en masse, it’s nothing for them to have a colony of up to 100,000,” he told AAP. “The weather will heat up shortly, the bulk of females prefer to find somewhere with a bit more food.”
While their roosting locations differ year to year, Mr Burke says a ‘super-colony’ of about one million little red flying foxes lived along two kilometres of riverbank about a decade ago.
SBS reports that the little red flying fox is the smallest of Australia’s flying fox population and known for its reddish brown fur. Unlike other flying foxes and bats, little red flying-foxes often hang off trees in clumps and their combined weight can decimate trees.
“It’s nothing to have 30 or 40 in a clump,” Mr Burke said. “Trees almost split in half from the weight.”
Of course, there are plenty of places across the Northern Territory and elsewhere in the country where huge colonies of bats make their presence felt. Mataranka Hot Springs is one famous example.
While they make for a remarkable sight, the screeching of the bats and the smell of their faeces mean they are not always popular with travellers.
Last year, the arrival of a huge colony of bats of Batemans Bay sparked a so-called ‘state of emergency’ in the NSW town.
We can vouch for that as we were in the Gorge in July. The noise and smell was enough to send you batty! The visitor’s centre has a full time job cleaning up their dropping on the picnic tables and seats.
I visited in August and I was astounded at their numbers. Made for great photos …. just don’t look up with your mouth open!
We are currently at Nitmiluk and the bats are here “camped” along the river bank. They fly over the camp ground on the way back to roost at around 5am each morning making an enormous amount of noise on their way. Not to mention pooping on everything on their way through !