An Unexpected Guest

As I left the house to buy groceries today, I was dive-bombed many times by what I thought was a small bird. I wish you could have seen me as I bobbed and weaved and spun around as this little creature flew about me and the open space on the fourth floor of my building.

We were on the landing area outside the elevator which is a four-sided breezeway to three apartments. Mine is the apartment in the middle. Above the breezeway is an open space to the sky and on one side is an open space to the garden. In the middle of the quadrangle is an open area that goes down to the ground floor.

As this little black flyer whipped about, it dawned on me that it was not aiming for the sky. It wasn’t even aiming for the garden. It was trying to find dark corners. That is when I realized it was not a bird, it was a bat. A very small, very agitated, bat.

After it buzzed my head a couple of times, I quickly found my way to the elevator and left, hoping it would find its way out while I was shopping. When I returned home, however, I saw that it had not left. It had decided to stay.

It seems now to have roosted in the corner between the wall and the ceiling above my front door. It is very small for such an alarming beast, and when it is still it is really quite endearing. But, several hours later it continues to rest above my door, and now I’m not sure I want it to stay.

Realizing that I know nothing about bats, I did a little Google search and discovered that they are not much of a threat. Occasionally they bite people and give them rabies, but otherwise and usually they are pretty harmless.

In fact, I learned that bat numbers have declined considerably over the years and Canadians are being encouraged to install bat boxes to try to create clean safe places for them. So, I guess I won’t be trying to swat my bat with a broom. I’ll just leave it be. I could call it a pet instead of a pest.

Perhaps I should give it a name. Bruce (as in Bruce Wayne) comes to mind, but I’m open to suggestions.