Around and around the room flew the bat, neatly missing walls and chandelier. My husband’s response was calm and collected–and to me–you’re my nature girl he said. Not when it comes to bats trapped in our dining room I wailed in dismay. After a few unsettled moments, I realized the bat wasn’t going to bite him or me and it truly was just a poor little lost bat struggling to find its way out. I ran and got our trusty butterfly net that, although it has never been used to catch a butterfly with any success, has rescued myriad songbirds and hummingbirds. Tom caught the little bat in a flash and out into the night it flew.
How did it get in we wondered, with all the doors closed and the windows screened?
* * *
When our children were very young, I made each a net using a dowel, piece of wire bent into a hoop-shape, fabric remnant, and recycled leather shoelace. The nets conveniently live in the mud room and they sure have come in handy over the years!
Good Morning Gloucester 
We had bats that flew down the chimneys. The guys used tennis rackets to knock them out, then we’d put them outside and eventually they would wake up and fly away.
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Still wondering how it got in Kathy because we don’t have chimneys!
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I’ll always remember my father trying to chase a bat out of our garage when I was 5 years-old. It was ridiculous (and awesome!). This was in Iowa. At night we could lay in the grass and watch hundreds of bats traverse the darkened sky. So evocative. Also, bats eat mosquitoes, so thanks to you and Tom for saving the little guy.
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At one point in the flight around the dining room it was clinging to the radiator pipe and looked so small and vulnerable without its wings spread.
Thanks for sharing that about watching them travel across the Iowa night sky–wonderfully descriptive and must have been so cool to see. We used to have a ton of bats that lived in an enormous linden tree on our neighbor’s property. The tree had to come down and I miss seeing the bats depart the old linden at nightfall.
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A few years ago we had a bat in the chimney, desperately trying to get out bumping against the glass enclosure of the fireplace…long story short…called a ‘bat expert’ and had someone come equipped with ‘bat gloves’ and a pillow! Was able to capture and release bat. Whew!
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Yes I understand–we opened the windows in the dining room too when trying herd the bat and it couldn’t find the open windows and doors.
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They tend to come in as the lights from houses attract bug’s toward windows and doors and when opened may just slip in! You did a great job all the way around as funkyfresh gloucester eluded to in his post…:-) Dave & Kim:-)
The bat was just looking fo his way home:
Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton – Can’t Find My Way Home
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I read that one bat can eat about 600 mosquitoes per hour!
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Thank christ this wasn’t me. I woulda hid under the bed.
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LOL, I would like to see that!
My grandfather had to get a series of rabies shots from trying to remove a bat from their home. Tom has already had rabies shots from rescuing a chipmunk that his cat had caught, which subsequently bit him. I would have thought he would be the most worried about getting bit again.
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I would still be under the bed! Not a fan, nor brave!
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If you’re ever in Austin, Texas you should check out the Congress Street bridge where millions–yes, millions–of bats live underneath. At dusk they come out, and it looks like someone has a giant hose shooting them out in a massive cloud for 20 plus minutes. One of the coolest things I’ve seen in my life. Mind blowing.
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WOW Chris–just googled image this-extraordinary!!! Thank you for sharing. I would love, love to film the bats departing the bridge in the evening!!
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Well you managed to compos –and to compose a photo. I love the bat in flight. Sort of like we’re all in that room with you! We had a big monarch (I think) inside and felt so responsible because of your advocacy. Our hearts beat faster than its speedy wings
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Thank you Anonymous-very sweet of you to say. Next time you are in doubt take a photo (if you think of it) and send it and we’ll post and identify the species.
Google image Austin Texas Congress Ave Bats per Chris’s suggestion above. Stunning!
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