When traveling in a very busy,very loud city recently, I noticed a few small bats clearly feeding on bugs attracted to a street lamp. I was on a party street, and there was loud music pouring out of multiple buildings near the feeding animals.

I've never seen bats this close to so many humans before, in such an urban environment. I know there are studies of bats using urban environments, but it often comes with a call to add ponds and other natural habitats. You know, areas that can be made quieter than a party street.

My question is, how effective is their echolocation in these noisy areas? Do they have self filtering capabilities? How much is the city around them masking, and therefore impairing, their ability to find food? And possibly, could they be using the light from the street lamp to help aid their foraging efforts?