Bats in the Belfry

If we had a belfry I am sure it would be full of bats.  We have been visited - indoors - by bats a couple of times recently.

One of the visits was resolved by catching the bat in a net made from bird netting.  As that was about 2am and accompanied by a small dog (also anxious to trap the invader) no photos were taken.

The beast appeared again early on 24 February but was not captured.  So last night Frances couldn't get to sleep and she moved to the spare bedroom shutting the door to keep the bat out of the room.  Unfortunately, in the best tradition of Hammer films, at about 5am she was woken by flutterings and bashings and discovered she had shut the bat in with her.  She escaped, leaving the bat in sole possession.

About 7:30 I entered the room and eventually found the animal hanging on the back of a mirror.  Subtle use of a tea towel trapped it and it was taken outside where some photos were taken.  After a brief period hanging on a Cypress tree it swooped off back to the safety of somewhere on our verandah.

 
As well as I can work out this is a Lesser Long-eared Bat (defined by the well developed, Y-shaped nose leaf).  It doesn't seem "Lesser' when it is swooping around in the middle of the night. The ID has subsequently been supported by a respected local naturalist

Comments

Critter Catchers, Inc. said…
Check out the Critter Catchers website for information about bat removal. Good luck!
http://crittercatchersinc.com/critters/bats/bat_removal_control.html
28 February 2010 at 23:47:00 GMT+11
Flabmeister said…
Thanks guys, some interesting stuff in there but I think Australia is outside your zone of operations!!

Martin
1 March 2010 at 18:42:00 GMT+11
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