Temporary Visitor

I took advantage of the last warm day of fall to do some yard clean up.  Both wheel barrows were stored away, the rabbit wire was rolled up and stashed, garden tools and hose guides were collected, cleaned and put away.  Our unheated breezeway was swept, and the glass doors were shut for the season. And that is when I heard the high pitched squeaking.

Anyone who has heard it before knows exactly what I am talking about.  We had a bat.  It had decided to spend the day wedged between the glass doors and the screens of our breezeway, and since I was shutting the entire system up for the year, the bat had to go.  Using a clever system of shoeboxes and miss dig flags, P and I were able to remove the bat from our screen door.

I didn't want to leave him outside during the day as there are at least two very good varmint hunting cats in our neighborhood. (The chipmunk massacre of 2008 is unlikely to be forgotten around here).  So I put him in a shoebox, and brought him inside until dusk arrived.

At sunset the entire box was left outside, and a few hours later the bat was safely on his way.

I am hoping that he will remember this kindness and come visiting in the summer.  We need all the help we can get with the mosquitos - they are nearly as big as he is!