Bats out of the belfry, well at least one

[Gothichome]

Last evening I was relaxing in the best parlour when I hear a screeching and a wild plea for help from the back parlour. Seems upper management has been startled by a bat in the room. Now being the not so handsome prince of this castle, I grab the broom and with bravery in my hart I enter the room. With a swish and a swoop the uninvited guest flew about the room but before I could get the door closed behind me out into the hall way it flew, dam! It now has free run of the house. "The game is afoot" I follow in persuit.

Now, I wasn't aware bats were smart enough to know the value of our antique lamps, It used them to its advantage flying in random circles around them at roof level. Flailing my broom about in a Keystone Cops manner I made several unsuccessful attempts at batting it out of the air. A minute later into the front parlour it flew and once again I followed.
Again with a swish and a swoop it flew about the parlour, knowing, I think by instinct, to stay close to the safety of the antiques. Once again a half dozen or so attempts at enforcement of an eviction notice, it eludes my weapon of choice. Flying over my head close enough I could feel the breeze it shoots out of the parlour at rocket speed across the hall and into the dinning room. Now being up to the challenge of a lower life form I follow only to repeat my same failed attempts at victory and eviction. And as before, with no indications of its motive the demi vampire flies out of the dinning room and heads straight up the stairs.

Now, thinking to myself I've got to be smarter than the bat, I quickly close all the doors in the hall way save one. And like all master plans conceived by the hero of a tail, the wayward animal enters the room. Got you now I thought, and followed it into the bed room and closed the door.

Being the higher life form, I devised a strategie of watching and picking my moments to strike. With each swing of my broom and feeling nothing but the rush of empty air the bat dodged and weaved in an almost taunting manner. After five minutes or so of the cat and mouse battle, the unwanted guest changed its behaviour.

Have I mentioned yet how smart bats are?

This new behaviour was a change in its flight path. From a wide random flight path at room and mid room level to a low floor level pattern. Great I thought, I've worn it out. Only a matter of time till it falls from the sky and resides itself to the eviction. After many low level passes the creature violently crashes to the floor under a chest of drawers only to reappear in a flash and resume it floor level flight level. Ok, the end of this battle is near. I move closer. Once again it slams itself to the floor, under the bed this time. And once again reappears. Getting ready to serve the 'your not welcome' papers, for the third time, it slams to the floor. Too my amazement it flattens its self out and squeezes under the door to freedom.
It would seem my adversary had a master escape plan all along.
Whether by sight or bat sonar, it had found a way out of the predicament it found itself in.

Last I saw of my opponent it was heading down the stairs and into the front parlour. And as in past encounters I follow broom in hand, and with a greater respect for the winged rat, into the parlour I go. I watched and looked, but know sign of the bat, its gone into hiding.

Now in a big Victorian filled with antiques there are many, many, places for a bat to hide if it doesn't want to be found. I waite and I watched for a half hour or so, but no sign of the bat. So I go to bed, wondering which of us is the higher form of life.
I know the bat did not find its way out of the house the same way it got in so it's here still hiding and taunting me.
To be continued.

[Manalto]

Why not just open a window and close the door?

[Powermuffin]

I squirted water on our bat, which kept him from flying. Then I just scooped him up and took him outside. My mother, the naturalist, was so proud!
Diane

[mjt]

A few years ago I received a phone call from my panicked mother-in-law. There was a bat in her house. I drove over to assess the situation. By the time I got there, the bat was hiding behind the drapes in the living room. She donated a piece of more-or-less clear tupperware that I used to cover the bat. I slipped a piece of cardboard or something between the drapes and the tupperware to get it off the drapes and not let it escape while I got it out of the house. Catch-and-release as it were...

In my house I've had to take a different approach. The bats keep flying around and don't settle anywhere. I've found a tennis racquet to be far more effective than a broom. Higher swing speed, more control, and the bats seem less able to avoid the oncoming object. You'll need to be aware of any fragile objects in the return flight path, though... I remain undefeated with a perfect 7-0 record and no damaged items in the house so far. The bats have been less fortunate however.

[Manalto]

I've found a tennis racquet to be far more effective than a broom.

I could be mistaken, but I think Ron was trying to get the bat out of the house, not kill it.

[Nicholas]

I just had a little adventure with a bat also, but let me tell you, there is an overpass on I 4 a few blocks away, that has thousands of bats living in the crevices. As you drive over this pass and accompanying exit ramp, the sweet smell of bats**t permeates the air.

Bat lovers can go there early in the morning just before sunrise and watch the swarm, and listen to the chorus of peeps. I see them flying around the house at dusk.....so....

Early one morning I go out out to feed the kitties their meow mix tender centers, on the "screened in porch". I hear this flitting sound as some tiny shadow is zooming around. So I watch and I see something hit the screen. It is this flattened out black diamond shaped thing...but with two eyes and big ears.

So, not as grand and as fun as the bat chase of Gothichome, I just opened up a screen door in the locked position, went to the diamond shaped thing, and just waved my hands at it and it flitted right out the screen door.

So I am thinking it couldn't have gotten through the pet door, unless it piggybacked a cat, it must have flown in the evening before when I got home.

Gothic, we will stay tuned to this same bat channel, to hear the rest of this bat-tale

[Gothichome]

Manalto, opening a window would not work, all my storms are still in place. Also like Nicholas we have many bats in the area, a few still living in my attic. At dusk they venture out, you see dozens of them, not all from my attic I might add. Opening a window I think would just be an invitation for more bats to come in.
I do try to just knock the creatures to the floor and throw a towel over them and release them out side. Usually they soon fly off and all's good. Over the years though a few have died at my hand or should I say broom. The death of one does not a cull make.
A tennis racket does sound like a more practical weapon, but not being that athletic I don't own one. Talking to the bat in a bat whisperer manner would be nice, I could then just scope them up with Tupperware and release, but our bats have no intention of sitting still. Powder Muffin (Dianne) spraying them with a spray bottle sounds like a good plan but am unsure of its effectiveness. Bats still fly in the rain, so unless I turn on a fire hose, I can not see that working.
Well dusk is a hour away, I must dawn my camouflage paint and put my Rambo face on and pepair.

[Gothichome]

Well folks, that was a short battle. Found the squatter bat in the up stairs hall way. Once again I used the cunning (it would seem) close all doors but one strategy, it worked. Into the same room as last night. This time using my minimally more superior brain I sealed the bottom of the door with my towel. You can't fool me twice.
Any how, I think the bat remembered the room lay out from last night. After a few laps about the room, it headed straight for the floor and the door. Not finding its exit it remained flying low. After a dozen attempts with the ol' Excalibur broom I finally was able to knock it to the floor. I quickly cover it and wrap it up in the towel and set it free out side. It flew off into the darkness.
Now what am I going to do for entertainment?

[Willa]

Watch some bat rescue videos of course !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1L1Igdnn5iI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-s4Myna5l8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVz8rvIl_vY

(The bats in Australia are much bigger than the ones in Ontario.)

[Mick_VT]

I know a few people who just put on a leather glove and grab the bat out of the air mid flight - seems the most effective and it's amazing to watch