Fuddland

Long-term readers may recall my mild obsession with photographing the bats that flitted around my back garden in Leicester. The other day I almost had the opportunity for some close-quarter bat snaps.

Coming home in the wee hours of the morning, I threw my bag onto the floor, kicked off my shoes, flipped on the light, and was immediately startled by the sight of a bat flapping around and around the ceiling, going back and forth between my living room to the kitchen, searching for a way out. I stood there quite bewildered for a few moments, wondering how on earth it had gotten into my flat because all of the windows had been shut all day — until I realised it must have flown in over my head as I came through the front door.

Deciding that it would be a bit cruel to take the opportunity for a photoshoot and I should try and give the poor critter its freedom as soon as possible, I walked around the flat, opening all the windows — ducking at first when the bat flew too close for comfort, but soon becoming comfortable with the fact that it was never going to actually collide with my head. However, since I live on the first floor, all the windows have bars on the outside, which the bat decided were just too narrow to fly through, so the [now open] door was its only way out.

Whilst I waited for it to figure out this for itself, I grabbed my camera and shot a short movie of its manoeuvres:

After only a couple more minutes it shot out into the stairwell and immediately found the open and unbarred window.

#1

susannah | 2006 / 06 / 19 – 08:34

You need pictures and plants! Your apartment is very empty.

#2

Sarah | 2006 / 06 / 20 – 20:23

Hello, first time visiting your blog, linked from LazyLaces. I hope those are Fruit eating BATS! lol… might find yourself turning into a vampire one day. Joke.
Btw… PhD in Maths.. phoooo… tough one… just like my cousin, she’s teaching in London Uni now.. i think.

#3

felicity | 2006 / 07 / 01 – 04:54

wow! you lucky lucky person!! i am very jealous… this is from the woman who could move into the nocturnal house at chester zoo…. perhaps the bat was after your secret stash of jaffa cakes!

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