Day out with bats!

I had never been on an exclusive bat watching trail ever before. I was really looking forward to it, but you know you have messed up a little when you're so excited that you hear birds chirping in the morning and you still haven't had the least bit of shut eye. Nevertheless, I packed up my fully charged camera and set off to Rajesh Puttaswamaiah's home in Magadi road. He has been watching bats for couple of years, and he is the person if you want to know about bat life in and around Bangalore.

His home is a lovely abode with everything one can possibly think of in order to attract urban wildlife. A small pond with guppies and mollies surrounded by grasses, butterfly host plants, shelter pots for toads, nest holes built into outdoor walls for birds and bats and much more. I absolutely admired the dedication and effort it would have taken him. "The plan has been on for a little over ten years." He said. "But it materialized only few months ago."

No sooner we had our breakfast prepared by the loveliest Hema Rajesh, than we started off towards Savandurga. With Arya and his witty jokes, the onward journey was full of bustling energy between the three of us.

"So first, we stop at this Flying Fox roost!" He pointed out to a cluster of trees. From a distance, the trees looked as though some over enthusiastic kid had put one too many Christmas decorations all over. "Wow!" I was all starry eyed, ready to view this large congregation and soak up all the behavioural moments I could behold.

There were probably a little over a hundred individuals, and most were typically hanging upside down with their wings wrapped around like a cape. A few were flying around in circles. "Isn't this supposed to be the season for young ones?" I questioned Rajesh. "I think so." He held his heavy lens up at the bats and observed. After a few minutes into watching the bats, I observed something I hadn't paid attention to till then. It was the size of the testicles of the males. They were round, and almost the size of a small marble each. "I didn't know this!" I said to Rajesh. "Oh you didn't? You should see other species like Fulvus Fruit bat. They are almost the same size as the head." I couldn't successfully imagine a bat body with such proportions, but I assured myself I'll see it someday.

Then, Rajesh pointed out to a mother bat who had been hiding her young one in the safety of her wings. I was so overjoyed. I was looking forward to watching a mother and pup. "There, there is another mother below it! And another here at 10 o clock!" We counted over 10 mothers with pups. They looked just like adorable little dogs that any of us would cuddle reflexively without even thinking. As the sun rose higher above into the horizon, they kept beating their wings.

We moved on further towards Savandurga forest, and Rajesh said that we'll make a quick stop at this rocky hillock where a lot of quarrying has threatened the habitat of few bat species. Two years ago one could spot 3 species here: Rhinolophus beddomi (Woolly Horseshoe Bat), Megaderma spasma (Lesser False Vampire Bat) and Rhinopoma hardwickii (Lesser Mouse Tailed Bat). But now their caves have been destroyed due to the quarrying. "Pappa do you think we can really go up there? Is there really a way?" Arya wondered. "Son, we own a Xenon. We don't take the road, we make it." Skilfully answered Rajesh. Also, his skill wasn't limited to the quick reply. He drove immaculately up the steep slopes.

We tried to find the Lesser Woolly Horseshoe bat and the Lesser Mouse Tailed Bat, but there were none in the cave.

We needed to get to a vantage point where he could photograph the quarry in such a way that he could compare the photos he had previously clicked. "Surprising how much destruction can happen in just six months, there was a huge rock formation on this side which doesn’t exist anymore" He said, and there was a melancholy in his voice. It seemed as though he missed a dear friend or family member whom he couldn't find today.

Nonetheless, we looked forward to the rest of the day and got going, and this is when we found a canid pug mark. It didn't seem like that of a domestic dog. Perhaps a Jackal or Fox.

On the descent, we saw a lot of migratory danaid butterflies moving directionally. Dark Blue Tiger, Double Branded Crow were both spotted. Also saw a group of puddling Line Blues.

Just before we reached the more touristy part of Savandurga, we stopped at a water body. We were to go by foot to the subterranean cave from here. "This is quite a stinky cave. You will smell it from a distance." He said. My antennae stood up. As we reached the rocky area, we saw a Black Eagle soaring by the edge of the cliff ahead of us! This was an exciting new lifer for me.

"We are within 20 metres of the cave. Locate it if you can!" Rajesh challenged Arya and I. I looked around, but there was nothing that looked like a cave’s entrance. Arya took some enthusiastic wild guesses but he turned out wrong. Then, Rajesh led us to this crevice which would most definitely go unnoticed if covered with a little more leaf litter. "Oh my goodness how did you find this place?" I asked in disbelief. "I asked around in the villages. They pointed this way and after spending few hours searching I found it."

"How deep is the cave?" I asked. "As deep as those trees you see there." Wow. I looked below, into the entrance. Seemed like a portal to another realm. Rajesh lead the way, Arya and I followed closely behind him. I took a few seconds to adjust to the dim lighting, the smell of the guano and the fact that my limbs are sinking into the same as I crawl my way in. Voila!

"Before you tell me what these bats are, let me try and guess." I clicked a few pictures of the bats and said "Leaf nosed bat?" "Correct, they are Schneider’s Leaf Nosed Bat (Hipposideros speoris)." He said, and even in the dim light of the cave, I could see his expression that clearly told me that I have been welcomed into the pack. New pup in town! I got the mentorly vibe of being taken under the wing, officially!

I spent a lot more time inside than I imagined. I developed a strange liking to the odour of the guano. "Maybe in the days and years to come, just a whiff of this dirty smell will make my heart skip a beat with excitement." I thought to myself.

Of all the beautiful bats in the cave, I particularly fell in love with one individual who was in a breeding pelage. He was a bright rufous colour, and that against the contrasting colour of his tiny, beady, black eyes was a sight to see.

Arya, Rajesh and I clicked a few selfies to celebrate the moment, and then a slightly surprised Rajesh asked me if I was done or if I wanted to spend some more time underneath. The honest answer would have been that I was not interested in going out into the sunlight ever again. But emotions aside, I said "Okay, five minutes." The temperature inside the cave was very humid and the sweat was dripping like tap water.

We then moved to the Savandurga Forest department's visitor area. Here, there is an old temple structure which has been abandoned. Upon entering it, we were greeted by the pleasant sight of four Lesser False Vampires (Megaderma spasma) huddled together. 

Although I was considerably low on energy, my spirit was still high. Rajesh taught me the different angles in which a bat should be photographed. One of the four bats stretched out his wings and made for a beautiful image.

We then headed back, had lunch on our way and retreated to Rajesh's home. We rid ourselves of the guano clothes and finally allowed ourselves to feel tired. Arya's dog “Tiger” had been barking incessantly for a while, and Arya stepped out to check what might be troubling Tiger. He was shocked to see a large sized Spectacled Cobra eating a Common Indian Toad. He called out for us, and I tried to be as quick possible but could only manage the last leg of the process.

Although this was a bit scary for young Arya, it was a great ending to my day. I had never seen a Cobra on a kill.

This was how my first bat adventure came to an end, but this is only the beginning. Cheers to many more such spectacular adventures! Happy batting!