They started coming the night before the hearings, swooping through the bedroom as we lay in bed watching the tail end of Lawrence O’Donnell. The only light in the room was from the TV, but we could see it clearly – a lone brown bat silently flapping its wings in a circle around the room. It disappeared out the door but soon returned and took another couple of laps around the bedroom before disappearing down the stairs into the darkened first floor.
I love bats - maybe not zooming around the house. We have bats around the area they come out at dusk and swoop around the trees and through the yard. I call them all Batley and try to catch the show. I bought a bat house, but haven't put it up yet. Once I was sitting on the deck listening to Beethoven's 9th Symphony on the outdoor speakers and I swear there were more bats flying closer to the yard than ever.
Love this column so much! It gives me a window into your daily lives. And it teaches me about your tenderness as you cupped the living creatures in your gloves hands.
It's like an omen! Time to don a mask, cape, and give battle to those evil-doers who are a "cowardly, superstitious lot" -- oh, wait, you already do that! Hail, Batman!
Lucian, that’s a great story. Here in Gainesville, where I now live, the University of Florida has three very large bat houses on campus. Estimates are that over 100,000 animals live in the colony.
Every night it’s a show, and people come park their cars and just hang around and watch as all the bats take wing. As far as I know, the UF Agriculture department collects the guano and uses it on their research plots…
You are MUCH more brave than we are. We live in Iowa, and occasionally, a bat makes its way into our house somehow. We are terrified of them. Several years ago, a 20 year old guy who lived a mile from us was bitten by one inside his house, and he died of rabies.
Outside, they are great. Inside, not so much! Please be careful.
Great story because you removed the bats. Important creatures for our environment, for sure. However, one of my closest friends lost a brother in law to rabies because he was bitten by a bat as he slept. He ignored the bite thinking it was minor. Sadly, he died of rabies. Sorry to be a downer here, but please be careful!
You have them roosting somewhere in the house that has access to your living space. Probably the attic. If you have fireplaces, the chimney is also a likely spot.
Egads!! All creatures great and small…glad you are equipped to handle them. I hear them when I am outside sometimes. That’s where I want them to stay…outside!
Bats are so cool. My childhood house in Maine had a large barn where the bats would sleep in the loft, and at sunset, all flew out in search of food. Great big crowd of them flying in formation in the dark. Quite the scene.
Be kind to the little critters-they're better than any bug spray any day-but be careful handling them-they tend to carry weird viruses like Covid 19 and rabies.
Still better than having them in the belfry.
I love bats - maybe not zooming around the house. We have bats around the area they come out at dusk and swoop around the trees and through the yard. I call them all Batley and try to catch the show. I bought a bat house, but haven't put it up yet. Once I was sitting on the deck listening to Beethoven's 9th Symphony on the outdoor speakers and I swear there were more bats flying closer to the yard than ever.
Love this column so much! It gives me a window into your daily lives. And it teaches me about your tenderness as you cupped the living creatures in your gloves hands.
It is good from time to time to appreciate the other critters in our world
It's like an omen! Time to don a mask, cape, and give battle to those evil-doers who are a "cowardly, superstitious lot" -- oh, wait, you already do that! Hail, Batman!
Lucian, that’s a great story. Here in Gainesville, where I now live, the University of Florida has three very large bat houses on campus. Estimates are that over 100,000 animals live in the colony.
Every night it’s a show, and people come park their cars and just hang around and watch as all the bats take wing. As far as I know, the UF Agriculture department collects the guano and uses it on their research plots…
You are MUCH more brave than we are. We live in Iowa, and occasionally, a bat makes its way into our house somehow. We are terrified of them. Several years ago, a 20 year old guy who lived a mile from us was bitten by one inside his house, and he died of rabies.
Outside, they are great. Inside, not so much! Please be careful.
Delightful
Put up a bat box, and voila, fewer insects! Nature's gift!
Great story because you removed the bats. Important creatures for our environment, for sure. However, one of my closest friends lost a brother in law to rabies because he was bitten by a bat as he slept. He ignored the bite thinking it was minor. Sadly, he died of rabies. Sorry to be a downer here, but please be careful!
Great animals who eat mosquitos and have Radar.
Sonar.
You have them roosting somewhere in the house that has access to your living space. Probably the attic. If you have fireplaces, the chimney is also a likely spot.
I love the story about the bats but be careful they may protect from some diseases but they re said to transmit Covid..
And Rabies. And SARs. But they eat the mosquitoes that transmit West Nile Fever, Eastern Equine Disease...
Egads!! All creatures great and small…glad you are equipped to handle them. I hear them when I am outside sometimes. That’s where I want them to stay…outside!
Bats are so cool. My childhood house in Maine had a large barn where the bats would sleep in the loft, and at sunset, all flew out in search of food. Great big crowd of them flying in formation in the dark. Quite the scene.
Be kind to the little critters-they're better than any bug spray any day-but be careful handling them-they tend to carry weird viruses like Covid 19 and rabies.
You're lucky. In upstate NY we've lost most of our bats due to White Nose Syndrome wiping out cave colonies. Maybe yours are coming back.