Again - breath-taking and beautiful David. Thank you so much for sharing this, and for listening to the bats.
We love bats too. Absolutely adore them. They are among the most remarkable of mammals, the only one that truly flies. There are two colonies of them living in my barn and one of our favorite things to do in summer (both J and I) is to go upstairs in the barn at dusk, sit very quietly in a couple of chairs placed in the middle of the large 30' by 40' floor for this very purpose, and wait for the bats to wake up.
They start out with one or two, and then ten and then a hundred or more, all flitting about so close that we can feel the flutter of their wings as they pass by us. They twitter and squeak, they are flying so quickly that it's utterly amazing that they never collide. They never touch us even though they fly within inches. And it is completely obvious that they are fully aware of our presence. For two or three full minutes we are awe-struck and still amidst a joyous flurry of bats. And then, on a single instant, as if one of them decides and gave a secret signal, and they pour out of the barn in one liquid swarm, a living river of wings off on their separate journey to eat their pounds of mosquitos.
The experience is so magical as to bring tears of gratitude and appreciation to us both. I often experience such deep feelings of connectedness to these wondrous little creatures that I can't speak for minutes after the event. And J has expressed similar feelings.
Most of the bats in the northeast are seriously threatened by the white-nose fungus. It interferes with their metabolism and wakes them up in the middle of the winter when they should be in deep hibernation. Once the fungus awakens them in winter they are doomed.
Scientists have discovered something that can treat the fungus, but that discovery is a long, long way away from being implemented in wild bat populations. They are all dangerously threatened. Every once in a while I get a call and am privileged to do a bat rescue. As a rehab volunteer, I hold them as worthy of my assistance and support as is a hummingbird, a bald eagle, a starling, a raven, a vulture, or a peregrine. They are beyond beautiful, these - our delicate and shimmery kin singing in the hidden night skies.
Beyond comprehension the priceless gifts they bring to this earth, I am humbled by your stories, David's and yours. If only the sense of wonder awe and appreciation could invade more humans, but alas...
What a mighty story of beauty and love and tragedy. I don’t know how your heart doesn’t burst :-) Thank you for all the care you have for them. Whisper ‘hello’ for me.
I can't say I was a lover of bats until one snowy day in early autumn, my friend found a brown bat clinging to the school wall. She slipped back in and found a box where she gingerly placed the bat. On the way home, she bought some mealworms. I have to admit my reaction was not the best:)
She placed a damp cloth in beside the bat (they need moisture) and fed the mealworms that were graciously accepted. The box was moved to the cold cellar and "Buddy" was looked in on every night until he fell asleep. My friend wintered Buddy over until one day in spring, I heard a rustle and called her downstairs.
Then every night for two weeks, she opened a window on the second floor, fed the bat and gave him the choice to stay or leave. She would place him on a heavy glove and he'd walk to the end of her arm look around and walk back. Then, one night he turned, looked at her and flew out the window. He circled around past the window and flew off. I swear he was thanking her. We both stood by the open window, tears, with a sense of loss mixed with thanksgiving for Buddy.
Your new home . Came with an invisible contract of stewardship. Ancient stones still carrying the essence of a family . Whispers in the walls. How many footprints have been imprinted and fossilized for eternity. Can you feel it?
“She is trying to remind us that a voice is only the ache of an amputated limb if we do not hear the world’s response. And if we could learn again to hear creation’s reply it might, even now, allow us to turn away from our own destruction.”
My heart aches with this passage. A Gorgeous truth. And gratefully received. I will look up at dusk and think better of the frantic flapping wings above.
Ahhh... your voice was perfect. I felt that I had returned to the forest and through its green canopy came the voice of Gandalf speaking to his beloved Hobbits. Wow!
Just absolutely soul searing ... so incredibly moving -- a reminder of the possibility of deep reconciliation and the true glory of our world in the cosmos. Thank you ...
Oh man!! This is breathtaking (I have just written that word and then saw below that @Carmine Leo has used the same). I loved reading it and becoming caught up in the romance and wonder of the bats and your words to them.
david david david, I think I have a new perspective on bats because of you. strange though, while reading your essay I kept thinking about all the spider families in my home, how they nest, watch, and weave with brilliance, living their lives while watching ours!
Thanks for reading, Mohika, and for the lovely image of the spiders. Watching a spider is always a great lesson in patience and attention to detail. I'm glad somebody else likes them :-)
Again - breath-taking and beautiful David. Thank you so much for sharing this, and for listening to the bats.
We love bats too. Absolutely adore them. They are among the most remarkable of mammals, the only one that truly flies. There are two colonies of them living in my barn and one of our favorite things to do in summer (both J and I) is to go upstairs in the barn at dusk, sit very quietly in a couple of chairs placed in the middle of the large 30' by 40' floor for this very purpose, and wait for the bats to wake up.
They start out with one or two, and then ten and then a hundred or more, all flitting about so close that we can feel the flutter of their wings as they pass by us. They twitter and squeak, they are flying so quickly that it's utterly amazing that they never collide. They never touch us even though they fly within inches. And it is completely obvious that they are fully aware of our presence. For two or three full minutes we are awe-struck and still amidst a joyous flurry of bats. And then, on a single instant, as if one of them decides and gave a secret signal, and they pour out of the barn in one liquid swarm, a living river of wings off on their separate journey to eat their pounds of mosquitos.
The experience is so magical as to bring tears of gratitude and appreciation to us both. I often experience such deep feelings of connectedness to these wondrous little creatures that I can't speak for minutes after the event. And J has expressed similar feelings.
Most of the bats in the northeast are seriously threatened by the white-nose fungus. It interferes with their metabolism and wakes them up in the middle of the winter when they should be in deep hibernation. Once the fungus awakens them in winter they are doomed.
Scientists have discovered something that can treat the fungus, but that discovery is a long, long way away from being implemented in wild bat populations. They are all dangerously threatened. Every once in a while I get a call and am privileged to do a bat rescue. As a rehab volunteer, I hold them as worthy of my assistance and support as is a hummingbird, a bald eagle, a starling, a raven, a vulture, or a peregrine. They are beyond beautiful, these - our delicate and shimmery kin singing in the hidden night skies.
Beyond comprehension the priceless gifts they bring to this earth, I am humbled by your stories, David's and yours. If only the sense of wonder awe and appreciation could invade more humans, but alas...
What a mighty story of beauty and love and tragedy. I don’t know how your heart doesn’t burst :-) Thank you for all the care you have for them. Whisper ‘hello’ for me.
Thank you for sharing this!
I can't say I was a lover of bats until one snowy day in early autumn, my friend found a brown bat clinging to the school wall. She slipped back in and found a box where she gingerly placed the bat. On the way home, she bought some mealworms. I have to admit my reaction was not the best:)
She placed a damp cloth in beside the bat (they need moisture) and fed the mealworms that were graciously accepted. The box was moved to the cold cellar and "Buddy" was looked in on every night until he fell asleep. My friend wintered Buddy over until one day in spring, I heard a rustle and called her downstairs.
Then every night for two weeks, she opened a window on the second floor, fed the bat and gave him the choice to stay or leave. She would place him on a heavy glove and he'd walk to the end of her arm look around and walk back. Then, one night he turned, looked at her and flew out the window. He circled around past the window and flew off. I swear he was thanking her. We both stood by the open window, tears, with a sense of loss mixed with thanksgiving for Buddy.
Thank you for bringing that memory back.
The most beautiful story. Thank you. Tears of joy.
Lovely!
Just beautiful as always ❤️
Gorgeous
I shall connect to them to invite them in as I do the elements and the elementals not only to assist but also to partake of the fruits of my labor!
Oh my..
Whoaaa
Your new home . Came with an invisible contract of stewardship. Ancient stones still carrying the essence of a family . Whispers in the walls. How many footprints have been imprinted and fossilized for eternity. Can you feel it?
“She is trying to remind us that a voice is only the ache of an amputated limb if we do not hear the world’s response. And if we could learn again to hear creation’s reply it might, even now, allow us to turn away from our own destruction.”
My heart aches with this passage. A Gorgeous truth. And gratefully received. I will look up at dusk and think better of the frantic flapping wings above.
They'll be calling down to you as you look up :-)
Ahhh... your voice was perfect. I felt that I had returned to the forest and through its green canopy came the voice of Gandalf speaking to his beloved Hobbits. Wow!
Just absolutely soul searing ... so incredibly moving -- a reminder of the possibility of deep reconciliation and the true glory of our world in the cosmos. Thank you ...
Thanks for reading, Maureen, and I'm glad you found something useful in it.
At a loss for words...thank you.
Thanks, Darcy. Glad you got something out of it.
I’ve revisited this for your new voiceover and it was perfect, I hope you continue with them!
Oh man!! This is breathtaking (I have just written that word and then saw below that @Carmine Leo has used the same). I loved reading it and becoming caught up in the romance and wonder of the bats and your words to them.
Thanks, Nicolas, that's very kind of you.
Just gorgeous. Time stopped while I read this.
That's very kind of you, Mary. Funnily enough my clock also stopped while I read about Buck. Send my respectful regards if he is still there with you.
david david david, I think I have a new perspective on bats because of you. strange though, while reading your essay I kept thinking about all the spider families in my home, how they nest, watch, and weave with brilliance, living their lives while watching ours!
Thanks for reading, Mohika, and for the lovely image of the spiders. Watching a spider is always a great lesson in patience and attention to detail. I'm glad somebody else likes them :-)