The time had come to leave the peace and serenity of Hala Bala Wildlife Sanctuary and brave the possibility of insurgent attacks on our way to the Narathiwat Airport. But before leaving this sanctuary, Merlin and Daniel couldn’t pass up the chance to photograph a nearby roost full of Spotted-winged fruit bats (Balionycteris maculata). The bats were in an extra large, epiphytic fern growing low on a palm trunk.
Two days prior, we had looked up into the roost and seen about a dozen exceptionally cute bats looking down at us, though we weren’t prepared to take pictures. Of course, when we returned with cameras they all left a split second before a picture could be taken. We watched the direction they headed and later caught one in a mist net, enabling us at least to get a nice portrait. Merlin and Daniel are still upset about missing the group shot.