The Belfry

There's been a great deal of bat activity around the roof of the house lately, and I'm fortunate enough to have a high back balcony just beneath it that lets me watch them on nights when I'm home. At dusk, their flittery little silhouettes swoop and swirl, black against the almost-darkness of the sky. They're not really black -- were I to see them by day, they would be varying shades of furry brown, with little broad-nosed mousey faces. I suspect some of them are living along the Broadway side of the house, because I've never seen this many together before. They're very welcome to live here. I've noticed significantly fewer mosquitoes this summer in spite of the long swampy spells, and I give the bats credit for that. Several nights during the last two weeks I've sat out at around 8:30 PM and watched them flutter just overhead.

For safety's sake I'm not letting the cats out on the balcony anymore during bat hours, to protect both cats and bats alike. But me...I'm going out now to watch the bats begin their busy evening.

It's been a great weekend. :-)