bats

andmar

Hi all..I live in greystones ..id be familiar with all irish wildlife also am an avid gardner and walker..a few nights ago about five pm myself and herself were driving home when something briefly flew in front of and above the windscreen..i immediately said 'bat'to myself..later my wife said the same thing..black going to brown underneath..typical long batlike stretch of wing..only this was probably smaller than a jackdaw and bigger than a starling..I rang bat watch crowd but they insisted that it was too big and bats are hibernating at this time of year..so any ideas on what type of bat we saw?

Alun

Almost certainly not a bat. As said, they hibernate in the winter, and are also quite small. A common variety, the pipistrelle bat, for example, can easily fit inside a matchbox. My money is on a bird of some sort.

Tiercel Dave

A completely off the wall guess here! A Woodcock! With the amount of rain we are having at the moment I've sometimes seen them foraging along the side of the road here in Galway, and when flushed they tend to fly in front of the car for a few moments. Oh, and they fly after dark! Dave


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axe2grind

I would not rule out it being a Leisler's Bat. With a wingspan of about 30cm, it can look large for a bat in Ireland, though I'd struggle to call it larger than a Starling. But night time viewing can be deceptive. Plenty about in Wicklow

Also I have seen Leisler's on mild winter evening's. Doesn't seem to be much reference to flying in winter, but one here. (page 3)

An Fhuiseog

I'm inclined to agree with Alun and Tiercel D. - I think what you saw was most likely a bird.
If the sighting was at 5 p.m. in the evening(not long after dusk),I would guess it was something like a Blackbird perhaps?It's not uncommon for Blackbirds to be still active after dark at certain times of the year(particularly in well lit urban areas).It may have been another species of bird that had been disturbed from its roost by a predator.

swifts need our help!

our bats can be active during the winter but I agree with what has been said above - it has to be a bird. Leislers bat would be about the size of a swallow of swift