Tuesday, August 20, 2013

The Bat Who Waited For David

I did some bat research and found that they will fly UNDER a door, through that narrow doorjamb slot under a door, if that was a way they thought would lead them to cool night air and their ultimate destination, Bug Supper. There is a storage space near by bedroom which is connected to the attic crawl space by more porous means than my bedroom and improved hallway. I took some blankets and sheets and an old full length mirror and blocked the doorjamb slot so that the bats wouldn't be able to fly from the storage space to my bedroom area. It worked well. Until last night. Around dawn, or first light rather, Pickles wanted out of my bedroom. He's been doing this daily so I let him out. After he left the bedroom, I realized my mistake and his hunting cries filled the space. I closed the door and listened for him to chase the bat downstairs, where I could open some windows and bring the dog back inside the room until morning. His cries lessened after 5 or some minutes but I could still hear him rushing around making hunting breaths. He galloped up and down the stairs looking. Having to leave the bedroom, I creeped out and saw the bat on the wall, high up, in resting position. I closed my bedroom door and the hallway door, leaving the bat alone in that area and crashed in the lounge for a couple hours. Pickles gave up his hunt and joined me until David woke up and agreed to find and release the bat after a cup of coffee and a wake up interval. When he went upstairs he found the bat had migrated to the window screen in the hall and was able to push the complaining mammal out the screen and into the wide open. The bat was sleepy and grumpy and just hung around for a little while.
This is the guy hanging onto the Bricker this morning.

Tuesday, August 06, 2013

Bedroom Bat 2

Weird, this evening I was thinking, "maybe no more bats" and then Pickles woke me up barking and in the dark I could see a bat flying around my room. My door was open and he eventually chased it away, downstairs. It took a long time, like 20 minutes while I hovered under my blanket and waited for that to happen. When it did I put on my hoody and turned on lights as I went downstairs, closing my bedroom door and then my hallway stairs door and heard him barking away. I used the bathroom and then closed that door, opening the big 2nd floor hallway window and then I crept downstairs and heard him stop barking but still rustle around looking. I opened a window in the living room and lured Pickles upstairs with ginger cookies, closing the bedroom door behind us. Bat is hiding. Dog is dissatisfied. I want to sleep.
I hope bat flies away. Seemed smaller-definitely a new visitor.

Friday, August 02, 2013

Bat Returns

Tuesday Night I was lying in bed and heard rustling downstairs on the second floor. Pickles was asleep on the couch within sight and I knew that Ada was tucked away with David so there was no explanation for that noise. I thought maybe a mouse, and then dismissed it. Pickles wasn't bothered at all. He continued loafing adorably, which is odd because he usually hears unfamiliar noises better than I do. Time came for me to descend the stairs and brush my teeth and as I approached the hallway, I saw a bat fly by in the hall. The fear was immediate and I closed my door and crawled into bed. Soon enough, I realized that wouldn't do and so came back out of bed, put on jeans and a hoodie, which I pulled down over my head securely. I again descended the stairs after closing Pickles in the bedroom. He still had no idea something was up. I didn't see the bat this time and after using the bathroom quickly, I opened the window in there and the big window in the hallway. Then I went upstairs to bed, closing doors behind me. I haven't seen the bat since.