Elaine found a bat in her apron!
She was going to put it on when she heard an angry little screech. She did not want to get bitten so she wrapped it up in the apron. We didn’t know if it was a baby, or injured, so we phoned the SSPCA who were really helpful and told us to put it in a cardboard box with a lid and a little water until the officer came.
When he arrived he had a good look at the little creature and pronounced that it was not injured and was in fact a fully grown Pipistrelle Bat. He put it on the apple tree outside, and said that it would probably stay there quietly until dusk and then just fly off into the night.
Griselda checked for it on the apple tree the next morning and it was gone.
So all’s well that ends well!
There are lots of bats around here, and we think this one might have fallen down the chimney or through a crack in the wooden ceiling. Quite a surprise for Elaine though!