Here's why thousands of bats have flown into Orange

Although the migration of grey-headed flying foxes to town is not an annual occurrence, their return has been "fairly consistent" since 2020 when roughly 100 were spotted.

According to Orange City Council manager of parks and presentation Nigel Hobden, this most recent influx was up past 2200 when the last count was undertaken in September.

"Just anecdotally I have noticed the Ploughman's Lane population has increased," he said.

"The primary reason for flying fox numbers to fluctuate is resources available in the way of food."

Mr Hobden pointed to native eucalypts which were in flower as well as the large number of pear trees around the city as reasons for the growing number of flying foxes.

This is not the first time Orange has seen thousands of the bats make camp in town either.

In 2010 the council noticed a "quite large influx" of flying foxes. That same year a flying fox management plan was created to deal with the protected species.

"At that time they occupied the Mena property in Kite Street and then into Cook Park," Mr Hobden added.

He estimated the figure in 2010 could have exceed 3000, although there was no official count undertaken.

While there is every possibility of this current bat influx being the largest in more than a decade, another point of note is the timing of their arrival.

Mr Hobden said when flying foxes do come to come, it's usually around November. On this occasion, large groups were spotted in mid-September.

With grey-headed flying foxes listed as 'vulnerable' on the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, council's main role is to monitor the creatures which "generally" occupy an area east of the Great Dividing Range and along the NSW coast up into south-east QLD.

So how long will the bats be sticking around for?

Mr Hobden said the animals should start to depart in large quantities around April and May 2024.

"Numbers will dwindle over time as food resources start to dwindle," he said.

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