Oh, To Be A Bat In The City

In our never-ending quest to explore this fine metropolis that we call home we've found ourselves doing many odd things at odd hours. And yet the Times manages today to point out something we've yet to try: bat-watching in Prospect Park. And honestly, we're a little let down with ourselves for missing this one. We've definitely noticed bats fluttering around before, but for whatever reason we'd never really thought much about seeking them out.

Which is silly in retrospect as bats do us humans a wonderful favor and deserve some recognition for it. Each night the average bat has to eat its weight in bugs just to keep going! Like Gotham's superstar hawks which like to nibble on pesky pigeons, mice and rats, bats love to eat irritating insects like the dread blood-sucking mosquito. We're so going to have to go out and say hi some night.

And in case you don't believe the Times that there are bats in Gotham, here's a photo of one from the blog that got the Grey Lady on the story. Also, props to writer John Freeman Gill for managing to connect a bat's sonar with the shrill call of a blackberry.

Hanging Out on 81st Street by La Mariposa on flickr.