Tag Archives: bats

The Critters Want to Help!

Greetings!

The Critters in the Woods gave me a real talkin’ to this weekend: We want to cheer you folks up! Therefore I clicked some pics of the little fellers and took dictation. This first one is just a starter. Later this week they have an exciting, thriller-action 20 part serial (or so, they can’t count worth a hoot) they want to give out. Look for their acting prowess every weekday! (Um, I only have internet from up here in town. When I get home to the cabin on the weekends its just me and the Critters.)

Click to make it big enough to read!

 

 

The Little Brown Bat Family

I shall describe this without pictures of the bats, bear with me. For the month of July, I heard almost nothing of my petite friends. I got the occasional peep and rustle from the nest in my big upstairs studio/library. I sleep upstairs at the other end of the house where I used to hear Falco flying out the small opening at the apex of the roof. I had asked the rascal to move out and he did, but the nest remained.

Friday night I was wakened in the very early hours by a flurry of flutters and cheeps all around me! Nothing else matches the soft beat of bats on the wing. At least one perched on the ledge above and just behind the bed. That one uttered commanding chirps to the others that were landing on the curtain rods, the clothes poles and the rafters. One seemed to be herding the others.

Now my interpretation: The babes in the nest were ready to go out into the great night! Falco directed the exodus from on high and Mama tried leading them to the high exit. Since these bats usually have only one tyke at a time, there may have been more than one Mama and my studio is a ‘nursery colony’ in the making, oh my. Or maybe there were fewer than my sight-deprived, abruptly waken state made me think. It sounded like bat mayhem at 2 AM. Ever hear of herding cats? Try herding bats! I might have been able to get a photo or two, but any light, or worse a flash, would have frightened them and ruined the parents’ efforts.

They flew out and left me in peace, however many there were. I looked about the next morning and found no mess, no destruction. I heard nothing bat-like the rest of the weekend. The Little Brown Bat family has taken to the skies of the marvelous woodland that surrounds the cabin. Hurray and the best of luck to them!

What It Looks Like Now

As I mentioned before, it took many days of diligent labor to get the floors, wall and windows clean and cleared. TheCleanup Monster Cabinet next step was moving heavy furniture. This monstrous cabinet is one big unit. My ex made it. Not slow, not quick, but half-fast. It just about wore me out shoving this from one end of the house to the other – it took a while.

The desk was in a little room meant originally to be an upstairs bath. That’s where my office has been; now it is in the corner of the great room. Naturally, I had to disassemble it, move it piece by piece and Cleanup Desk Closereassemble it. I like it here even if the bats don’t.

Oh, yes, the bats. The next morning after scrupulously scouring the floor, I discovered guano and shredded insulation. Marvelous. I put this rug down so I can take it out and shake it every weekend, and wash it on occasion. As they’re directly behind my left shoulder as I type, I Cleanup Bat Matthink I can hear tiny bat babes. I shall deal with the bats later. I love ‘em, but they really should be outside.

I now have a sewing table and a big shelving unit to organize the cloth and other goods needed. Ten feet away is the huge thick plastic cutting layout, with grid lines. I bought that years ago and it was still curled up in the box. The layout is on a 4×8 foot table that has wonderful work room. There is a grand open floorspace for rolling out the canvas for floor cloths. The monster cabinet is by the easel where I will store the paints, palette and whatnot. The north window will be behind me. I have room to array the paints in use. I also put a nice stool at Cleanup Reading Areathe big table and can pull out my drawing stuff, wood burning stuff or the jewelry making stuff as needed. When not in use, back to storage in the monster cabinet.

Ah, here is the relax-and-read area. I bought that sofa eons ago, put it in the loft and immediately piled crap on it. Nevermore! Now I need to bring back a few hundred books at a time to repopulate the forlorn shelves. I miss my books.

Falco, Little Brown Bat

Little Brown Bat Hi there! I’m Falco and I live in a very tolerant and ecologically minded lady’s cabin. I’m a Little Brown Bat, and have lots of family around here. A less-than-well-known fact is that independent boys like me don’t congregate with the rest of the gang in a hollow tree; we like to each pick out a warm barn…or cabin.

There’s a high, peaked ceiling in this place, kind of barnlike. I fly all over at night when those tasty mosquitoes and wasps are around, and always say howdy to that lady that sleeps right next to my main roost. I have a grand roost! Right in the middle of the upstairs (a 2nd floor is above half the downstairs area) is a room with a flat top. Well between the flat top and the slanting panel and beam ceiling is a really cozy spot for me. Usually.

I do have a complaint! It started getting rather chilly at night and the nut still had windows in that slanting roof open! Not just one, but the whole darned row of them, from one end of the house to the other. Finally I had to fly down there while they were watching that wretched noise-and-flashy-light-box they have downstairs and get their attention.

My Sweetheart
It wasn’t my fault the goofy bat was so tempting!

They noticed me quick, okay, a handsome fellow catches attention. I asked politely, “How is a guy supposed to hibernate with a cold draft blowing down his back!” I latched onto a log over a nearby wall-type window and stayed right there until that silly yet kind lady got the message and shut those darned windows. Brrr! Now if I can only get back to sleep.

One word on leering, sneaking, lazy, leaping, useless, clawing, flightless, spoiled rotten, nerve-wracking and absolutely butt-ugly creatures called cats: SCAT!

Front Porch Light

Please do not flip the front porch light switch. The light will not come on. What happens is the breaker trips, and the freezer is on that circuit.

I could tape over the light switch. That would be the epitome of lazyness, as the cause of the short needs to be addressed. The cause screeches.

blog june 079I’m pretty sure the creature that lives over the front door is the cause. It is not a mouse or a bird. It drops black pellets and screeches, and sometime chitters away merrily. I have not seen it

Bat? There are many of them around and I love the little guys. We have almost no mosquitoes in the damp place and I thank them.

Rat? Don’t know. I’d rather it be a bat any day.

Meanwhile, I put a bunch of solar path lights around the porch. And I sweep away the droppings…unsightly right in front of the door.