Yarra Bend Park, Melbourne, Victoria

Better than the museums, better than the gallery or even the zoo. Just as exciting as the fairy penguins is seeing the flying foxes take off in the evening. They were close to the Yarra Bend Bellbird picnic site, but they have moved further down the Yarra River, Perhaps to make it harder for humans to bother them, Or maybe they just wanted fresh trees to roost in. After about a kilometer walk down a nice gravel trail we started to see them hanging from the trees like black bags. They were unusually quiet. Occasionally one stretched its wings as it dangled upside down.

The path wound up and down along the Yarra River.

My son staring up at the bats hanging from the trees.

We walk back along the path in the fading light. I feel honored to have seen the magnificent gardeners of the forest. They pollinate the flowers in trees while drinking nectar from their flowers. They eat the trees’ fruits and spread their seeds in the forest.