I think there is a bat in my chimney
10:45 Okay, it's not exactly the chimney, but there's this air vent that brings air warmed by the fireplace in the living room into my bedroom. And somehow, bats manage to get in there every few years. Just now, while I was blogging about index cards, I kept hearing this scritching sound, and once there was a thud, like the sound of a small animal dropping. Thing is, I'm pretty sure there is no cat in the room. (Maybe I am hearing a bat because I read this news story earlier: Teenager finds baby bat in her bra - Telegraph - 8-Jul-2008
10:49: Here is my plan. I am going to put on a shirt (I already have some pants on). Then I will find my bat catching gloves and a screwdriver. I will close the door to my bedroom. And remove the cover on the vent. Then I will catch the bat, take it outside and release it. Possibly I will scare it by introducing it to Drexel.
10:51: It is skritching again. I'd bet a hundred dollars it's a bat.
11:12: Too bad nobody took me up on that bet. It is a tiny little bat and it has crawled into this little crack that is just out of reach and I can't drag it out with my bent coat hanger. So. I have rigged 3 little traps for it. Two are metal pots that it will have trouble crawling out of if it falls in and I have put a bag down the main vent hole that it might find tempting. In the meantime, I'll play mumu or something until I hear it skritching again.
11:34: I didn't even get to start my mumu game. There was a bunch of skritching and then it stopped. Meanwhile, I had opened my door and a certain feline came in and then planted herself and stared intently at the vent. I unceremoniously carried her out of the room and then removed the vent panel. Metal pot #1 - empty. Metal pot #2 - empty. Bag - wiggling around! One of my traps worked perfectly. I took some video and some photos (yes, once again, I profit from another's misery) and then released the bat into one of the wood piles outside. Alas, the feline doesn't seem to realize that the bat is gone.
Videos:
Bat in a bag - Exterior
Bat in a bag - Interior
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4 comments:
David, I hope that one of those pots is not the same one that you cook your rhubarb date squares in!
Manon, I used the enamel pots that I set aside for putting plants in. But the date square pot is a good idea for next time.
Well, I'm glad you didn't freak out and call an exterminator or try to kill it with a baseball bat or similar. Bats, though they can be pests, eat TONS of bugs, which is a good thing!
Yes, thanks for not killing it. I'm sure it would say 'thanx' if it could.
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