Flocks of flying foxes
‘…to my surprise, a number of these animals were observed suspended from the branches of the lofty trees in the Sydney Botanic Garden, hanging by their hind claws…’
Naturalist George Bennett, 1858
Grey-headed flying foxes (pteropus poliocephalus) haven’t always been a feature of the Sydney harbour skyline, they possibly made their way here in pursuit of the fig trees planted throughout city parks in the 19th century.
‘The summer fruit everywhere was promising well, when regular swarms of flying foxes commenced paying the orchards their ‘nightly visits’ and could not be kept out of them.’
The Sydney Mail, 3.12.1892
These bats are a vital pollinator and a vulnerable species, and protected colonies live very close to the city centre, in Centennial Park and Parramatta Park.