Tent-Making Bats

Gallery: WildlifePosted April 3, 2014265 views19 comments

I love finding bats in the tropics. Returning to Costa Rica's Pacific coast during my recent tour, we were able to track down a colony of tent-making bats in a reliable spot. There were a lot more of them this year, huddled under the palm fronds they commonly use as their daytime shelter. The bats will sometimes chew apart a series of leaves on these fronds until the leaves bend and crease, forming a shelter or "tent" (hence the name).

This shot was a bit of a struggle, attempting to shoot straight up from a low angle. I probably could've bumped the ISO a bit more to achieve a little more sharpness, given that the wind was blowing the leaves around and the bats weren't totally still, but this one came out okay.

Canon 1DX
Canon 70-200mm 2.8 IS
ISO 1600
1/40th
f/11

Max

Comments

19 comments

Comment posted by Mark Seaver on April 3, 2014 at 4:36 PM

Excellent catch, Max. Without your explanation, I would have been hard pressed to ID these as bats, but I sure like the patterns on their heads and how that pattern is scattered through the frame. The palm leaves add nicely to the overall pattern.

Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments

Comment posted by John Neukirch on April 3, 2014 at 7:16 PM

I love the expressions on all those little faces staring at the camera. Really fun and fascinating!

Registered on July 9, 2012, 207 Posts, 1476 Comments

Comment posted by Rick Cloran on April 3, 2014 at 8:25 PM

Now this is something you don't see every day. The unusual perspective combined with an equally rare subject make for an interesting image. Thanks for sharing this one.

Registered on April 6, 2004, 119 Posts, 1989 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on April 3, 2014 at 9:45 PM

This is fun, unusual and well photographed! Thanks for posting it.

Registered on December 9, 2007, 258 Posts, 9892 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Watkins on April 4, 2014 at 3:51 AM

Max,
What strange looking bats these are, do you by any chance have anything closer?
Certainly something you do not see every day

Registered on December 15, 2010, 1537 Posts, 4877 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Hill on April 4, 2014 at 9:12 AM

Hey Max,

This is cool! Fun to look at and my only "nit" is being deprived of a larger version of the image (which obviously isn't a real nit at all). Love all the little "faces" looking down (and from so many different angles/rotations).

Cheers...

Brad

Registered on May 29, 2007, 431 Posts, 6061 Comments

Comment posted by Max Waugh on April 4, 2014 at 12:18 PM

Thanks everyone. I thought it would be a nice change of pace for this gallery. Ken, for some reason I didn't bother with close-ups this year, but I got a few tighter shots in the same spot last year (poor sample attached).

Max

Registered on September 26, 2008, 428 Posts, 2329 Comments

Comment posted by Clinton Bauder on April 4, 2014 at 9:16 PM

I really like this, though like Brad I'd like to see a high res version since I think the magic is in the face detail. Still, cute little critters! I think the composition works really well here. It really emphasizes the gregarious nature of them and also their relatively small size.

Clinton

Registered on December 8, 2009, 31 Posts, 231 Comments

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on April 5, 2014 at 2:31 PM

Very cool image and comp Max, it would have been cool to see the larger version

Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on April 5, 2014 at 2:51 PM

Nicely seen Max. Really strong graphic design, the structured horizontal fronds vs the random groups of bats.

Registered on January 28, 2005, 879 Posts, 12098 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Watkins on April 6, 2014 at 2:07 AM

Max,

Thanks for the further post, they really are "strange" looking bats, nature is a wonderful thing!

Registered on December 15, 2010, 1537 Posts, 4877 Comments

Comment posted by Zack Clothier on April 9, 2014 at 12:45 AM

Very cool Max, I really like the wide view here.

Registered on January 28, 2010, 343 Posts, 2257 Comments

Comment posted by Mike Ramy on April 10, 2014 at 10:55 AM

Well seen and captured Max,
Congratulations on the WP . . .

Registered on June 16, 2012, 567 Posts, 2809 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on April 10, 2014 at 11:09 AM

unique and excellent - love the little foxie-faces peering out -
congrats on the WP!
Sandy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by John Tobias on April 10, 2014 at 3:56 PM

Congratulations of the WP! It takes a bit of doing to get a decent shot of these guys.

Registered on September 12, 2009, 2120 Posts, 6455 Comments

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on April 10, 2014 at 4:57 PM

Congrats on the WP Max.
Love the extreme vertical framing and some very cool subjects to be sure

Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments

Comment posted by Balan Vinod on April 11, 2014 at 2:30 AM

Max ...Double icing on the Cake !. One the comp and the other the beauty of new species.... very well done

Balan Vinod

Registered on March 20, 2006, 889 Posts, 2312 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on April 11, 2014 at 4:20 AM

I'm not sure how I missed this one last week, but this is awesome.

Great Work Max

Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments

Comment posted by Max Waugh on April 11, 2014 at 12:15 PM

Thanks everyone, and thanks to the mods for the WP.

Max

Registered on September 26, 2008, 428 Posts, 2329 Comments