Very well made, Sitaram. Have you used an infrared trigger? I think you pulled it off very well. About 8 years ago I made a few attempts at capturing bats at night for some project. They came out OK but could have been better. I have shared some of my learning here.

Very well done Sitaram ! the absence of light on the bat's face adds to the mystery of this image. A little wider perspective would have added to the image in my opinion. Also filling in the negative space on extreme right with some light could work in favor I assume ! These are just my assumptions and I am sure you must have more good shots of this experiment. Nevertheless, I love your style and this image equally !

I like the siluette effect because of the backlight and thin wings. A very good chosen flash power to get this exposure. The picture could perhaps be cropped some on the right side.

This is a fresh perspective and I loved the backlight, Sitaram. Fantastic achievement, loving this series from you.
Also agree, a tiny crop from right side corner, maintaining the aspect ratio would improve the visual aesthetic a lot.
TFS.

@Ganesh sir
No, I haven't used the infrared trigger. The camera was hand held which I thought was better while composing in this situation. Because some minor changes in perspective and composition were affecting the mood of image dramatically so I had to correct those minor things manually and continuously.

I read the thread you shared and It totally amazed me that you tried experimenting with bats 8 years ago in such tough conditions. In my case many things are easily accessible to me because this is my backyard where we have one custard apple tree and bats are visiting frequently during this season. There are still infinite possibilities IMO and I'm still working on it.I shall share some images soon if I get succeed in executing soon enough .
But overall I'm enjoying the process and time with bats.

@Prathamesh @Anders @Samyak Thank you for the suggestion. I guess I should have waited a few days before posting. It would've certainly helped me to see my image with fresh eyes to notice some minor corrections. I will keep that in mind next time I post.
Every day you learn something new.

It is challenging to capture bats without an eeriness. Great capture of the bat in its natural habitat and without an eerie feeling. I like the composition, gives me the sense that it's flying into the darkness.

Sree

Excellent capture, Sitaram! I think even in monochrome this will look good. TFS.
Regards,
Prashanth

Fantastic image Sitaram. Looks like emerging out of a portal. Posture of the bat is awesome. Congratulations on this wonderful capture & TFS.

Thank you @Sree @Prashanth @Madhav

Incredible capture, Sitaram. I have come back to this image so many times and every time, i am struck by the wonderment of this moment. TFS.

One observation on the caption: it is obvious that this title refers to bats in the current context of the pandemic. As nature lovers, we do realise that such a negative reference to bats is not in the best interest of either the animal in particular or nature in general. This is an image that will stand the test of time. Why constrain it by a caption with such a narrow perspective? Think about it...

Very well timed n brilliantly captured!, Sitaram .. Love the way, absence of front details helps to ponder longer n make us ask / answer many questions.
Thanks for sharing.

I have nothing more to add to this image other than saying its a fantastic image. I too remembered Ganesh's image and another bat image with the city background when i looked at this image.

Nothing more to add. Absolute stunner. Fantastic execution.

@Ramesh adkoli

It took some time to really understand your perspective but eventually now I understand why 'Infamous mammal' is narrow. I wish I had expressed it positively before but the current pandamic have really affected us psychologically too and that might have effected the thought process of mine.

But really thanks for showing me the side that I missed.
Thank you