Just Batty

Don lifts weights on the deck twice a week in the early morning. He had just gotten started this morning and moved one of the lounge chairs on the deck only to discover this small bat lying underneath it. We were very surprised that a bat would still be out after dawn, and to be just lying on the deck floor seemed even more odd. We wondered if it was sick or injured. Neither of us wanted to get too close or touch it; I'm thankful for my zoom lens.

Here he's hiding his face in the crack between deck boards, no doubt bothered by the light. Don brought out a lamp and placed it nearby to shine even more light on him, hoping that it would be so annoying that he would fly away. I think he did have some kind of injury. After awhile, he began moving more, stretching out first one wing and then the other.

Finally, he flew up near the ceiling of the deck and perched on the top of one of the gable fans high on the wall. (We have a covered portion of our deck, quite large, with a very high ceiling. This is where he went.) A short time later, he experimented with flying around on the deck - we stayed out of his way, and soon he flew off. Whew!

The baby hummingbirds are raising their little heads above the sides of the nest more often during feedings. I took a little video and will see if I can post it here later.