[AlaninCarlisle]

Last night, just as it was going dark, I brought our two dogs in from a brief walk in a patch of woodland. As we entered the back porch, I thought we had been followed by a rather large dark moth. Then I saw what at first glance looked like a black toad in the large plastic box just inside the porch where we keep old newspapers for recycling. Putting the light on I discovered a bat in there. It looked uninjured so I gently extracted it, took it to the door and gently tossed it in the air. It fluttered off into the night sky. My guess is that in the confined space of the porch, its "radar" failed it and to save any injury, it just immediately alighted
A first for me. Anyone else had a similar experience?

[Goosegirl]

A few years ago we had one in our extension during the day but how it got in I don't know unless one of our cats brought it in though I doubt it. I managed to get it and put it outside near a hedge.

[Debz]

One came in to my parents house.  We don't know how or when but my mum called to me to get rid.  I scooped it up and put it outside in the shade.

[Christine]

Strictly you aren't supposed to touch bats unless you are a licensed handler I was told at my last job at a National Park as they went for the appropriate member of staff to take one out of an office.

[MarkC]

I hooked a bat whilst fly fishing for sea trout at night a good few years back.

I didn't realise immediately as it was dark and they are so light, just thought I'd got some weed on the fly so handlined the line in as usual and something made me go to the car (the pool was right next to our car parking area) to get some light on it, and there it was! Lightly hooked through the wing skin and came out easily. it then retreated into my car boot! Took a bit of prodding around with my net handle to locate it and get it out.

Funnily enough it didn't occur to me to try to find a licensed bat handler at 1am! I've since found out that it's not at all uncommon for night sea trout anglers to hook a bat, almost a rite of passage!

[8doubles]

I hooked a bat whilst fly fishing for sea trout at night a good few years back.

I didn't realise immediately as it was dark and they are so light, just thought I'd got some weed on the fly so handlined the line in as usual and something made me go to the car (the pool was right next to our car parking area) to get some light on it, and there it was! Lightly hooked through the wing skin and came out easily. it then retreated into my car boot! Took a bit of prodding around with my net handle to locate it and get it out.

Funnily enough it didn't occur to me to try to find a licensed bat handler at 1am! I've since found out that it's not at all uncommon for night sea trout anglers to hook a bat, almost a rite of passage!

Be worth giving the registered bat handler a call to keep him on his (or her) toes !
Never actually caught a bat but have had dozens of near misses , if every angler obeyed the letter of the law registered bat handlers would be batty from lack of sleep !
Knocked a brick out of a stable wall once and there was a pipistrelle clinging to it , guess which way up the brick landed .
Also saw a bat pulled out on a slate ripper while doing roof repairs on a hospital .

[jaydig]

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.

[RubyRed]

  Last year I was sat watching tv with my other half when out the corner of my eye saw a large black shape moving across the carpet near my feet. After a few choice words we realised what it was an took it carefully outside. Have no idea why or how. Also when my lads were teenagers they came racing downstairs to say there was a bird flying round the bedroom. It wasn't it was a bat. We turned the lights out and opened the window. Once again we have no idea how it happened. We live in a 300 year old farmhouse with lots of gaps and cracks. Think they maybe in the roof and getting through the gaps in the beams.