Many years ago, early one morning, I had opened up the store where I worked to let the cleaning staff in, and as I passed the large steel sink in the rear bay I noticed what I thought at first was a rat or a mouse in its corner. On closer inspection it was a beautiful little bat. He must have flown in the evening before through the wire mesh screen, when the main loading door was open. He had got a bit damp in the sink, and seemed a little dozy, so I dried him off as best I could with paper towels, and warmed him up in my hands. When I opened the main security door and took him outside, I pushed my open hands upward, and off he flew.I've never seen another one so close.
The only other little creature I've had to help aloft was a young swift, which had come down onto the paving at the side of the house. Once they are down it is very difficult for them to fly off because of the length of their wings, so I approached him very quietly and checked him over. He seemed to be ok, so I launched him into the air, and off he went. They have beautiful little faces with quite a short beak, and, for a bird, very large eyes.