However, it is an uncommon visitor to Ballarat, which seems only to attract stragglers.

One was seen two weeks ago, at dusk, at the North Gardens reserve near Lake Wendouree.

This follows a report of a dead one being found near the southern end of Barkly Street in Mt Pleasant in mid-November.

The grey-headed flying fox is Australia’s largest bat.

It is one of several species of fruit bats, and it lives up to that name by eating both native and introduced fruit.

At this time of the year it would be seeking peaches, apricots and nectarines from home gardens.

In other places it feeds on nectar and pollen from eucalypts and other native trees.

Whether this recent flying fox is alone or part of a group remains to be seen.

Have there been any more local sightings?

Are any local roost sites known? Watch for them in the next couple of months. Ballarat has had occasional visits from these flying foxes in past years.

But there has never been a report of a communal roost here.

The grey-headed flying fox normally roosts by day in tall, dense leafy trees and moves off at dusk to feed.

It will travel several kilometres a night in search of food.

Its wingspan is almost one metre, and its wings are wide – noticeably wider than those of an equal-sized bird. 

At night its colours are hard to see.

It is basically blackish, with a grey head and a broad orange collar.

Its large wingspan and its way of flight should make it relatively easy to identify.

Another rare and large-winged visitor to Lake Wendouree area last month was an immature white-bellied sea eagle.

It perched for a while at the top of a tall pine, but was eventually driven off by heckling ravens.

This one was also easily recognised by its large wingspan – two metres.

It was a noticeably larger bird than the swamp harrier, which is the usual large hawk seen at Lake Wendouree.

There are few reports of magpies feeding on fruit, so the following extract from a letter is of interest.

“I threw away a nectarine stone with small amounts of fruit attached, and one magpie flew in, took it, and flew maybe 40 metres.

“It then called to its female mate and the two of them took turns to eat the sweet bits of fruit off the pip.”

Magpies are generalist feeders, but fruit is an uncommon part of their diet.