11 Comments
User's avatar
Michael Shipley's avatar

That's a funny story.

We had a couple bats get into the old house. They scared the heck out of the Mrs..I got an old bed sheet and some leather gloves. When a bat flew down the upstairs hallway i threw the sheet into the air blocking the hall and after a couple tries caught the critter. Took them outside after taking a picture and let them go.

Expand full comment
DOC0715's avatar

Wow, bats now the stomach flu. Ever find out how the Batbaby did?

Expand full comment
Chuck May's avatar

Omg actually cackled at that one!

In the ballpark where the boys played rec baseball when they were little, there were woods right next store that had a reasonable population of critters like bats. When they’d come out for night games they were, of course, described as “baseball bats.”

Expand full comment
Susan Montgomery's avatar

How do bats always seem to know when you are vulnerable? I had the opposite experience as I was the only being in the house (actually ground floor condo of the 3 story building) NOT afraid of bats. I was asleep and was woken up by my visiting Mum to alert me to a flying bat in the living room. Then ensued my son, mother and cat hiding in the bedroom while I tried to gently catch said bat while in sleepwear (t-shirt and undies). I finally was able to usher it out the sliding glass door to the amusement of some neighbors coming home late. I determined the bat was a member of a colony living in the attic of the building. I had been doing some wiring work, had left a faceplate off, and the bat had travelled down the wall and out into the condo. I slapped some duct tape over the hole for the night and went back to sleep.

Expand full comment
Robert Graziano's avatar

Bats are amazing! They’re the latest group of animals to evolve flight, after birds, pterosaurs, and insects! In the summer evenings, just after sunset, we watch them fly around the trees. Looking closely at them, they seem crawl in three dimensions through the sky. Marvelous creatures!

Expand full comment
Gide Wilder's avatar

Mammals that fly! And fight crime!

Expand full comment
Wyrd Smythe's avatar

Good story! Your description of quick flying and corner of the eye reminded me of the time I realized there was a bat flying around my hotel room. When I finally got him shooed out the glass sliding door, he turned around and wanted back in. Apparently liked the new cave he'd found.

Expand full comment
Sabrina Pandora's avatar

I love bats and one of my best friends volunteers with bat rescues. Glad to see you do your best by the little ones- we've never gotten them to take advantage of our bat houses, but we dutifully mounted them on the house and we're always on the lookout for wee bats in peril.

Also, great sympathy for the gastro. UGH. The worst...

Expand full comment
Alexandra Dawe's avatar

I love bats! We live in an old house in Devon, which is in a pretty terrible state of repair. There's bats in the loft, and they frequently get into the house. We're pretty good at escorting the adults out now; we open the windows and all slowly advance holding blankets spread out. They generally fly away from the big, woolly wall closing in on them and go out of the window. Babies get a heat pad and water from a paintbrush until we can get them to the vet, who check them out and pass them to a wildlife sanctuary. Thank you for looking after the bats! 🦇

Expand full comment
Nick Stevens Graphics's avatar

One of my most delightful experiences when I visited Australia was seeing flying foxes swooping around at dusk. I hadn't realised how large they were - and I later got to see some up close at an animal centre.

More like flying puppies!

Expand full comment
Tamsin's avatar

I love bats, we have one come visit every night, it might be more than one but they are so fast I cannot tell. I would not want one in my pants though. Thank you for the giggle.

Expand full comment