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Name This Animal

bird or bat?

15 years ago

I live in North Missouri, right on the Iowa line. We have a cellar that we saved from an old house that we tore down. We need to work on closing it up from the old basement that it was connected to. There are some creature in there....they are screaching when we get close to the window/doorway. They look like birds to me...like they are clinging to the concrete wall, but my husband thinks that they are bats and he doesn't want to go down to finish the project. Do bats cling to concrete walls? I thought they hung upside down?

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Comments (5)

davec426913
15 years ago
Bats will definitely cling to the wall.

It certainly sounds like they are bats.

It sounds like you're the one with the cahones. Just go down there and make some noise - bang a couple of pots together. They will leave. And while doing so, tell your hubbie not to be such a big baby. :D

But don't touch them. It's unlikley, but bats are prone to rabies.
tucker_sp
15 years ago
Sounds like chimney swifts to me - they cling upright to walls rather than perching like normal birds. See if the picture at the link below isn't like what you are seeing.
Tucker

Here is a link that might be useful: Chimney swift inage
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Sorry, a little experience, a little logic and a little common sense is all I can offer. Can only comment as one who spent a lot of time as a mine and cave spelunker observing/photographing several species of bats here and in a few other countries. While aerial fungal spores (if in high enough concentration) can cause lung problems, and even aerial rabies is possible, both are very unlikely in anyplace except right in the caves of very large populations of bats (and we have very few of those places in this country). Some people might be more reactive than others naturally, but with only minor precautions I never became sick and apparently never had any lasting problems from my contact. Aerial risk can be pretty much nullified by wetting down the guano and/or wearing an approved respirator. Until guano breaks down it also would attract insect pests you may or may not want to deal with, some of which could be disease carriers. I doubt it could be called hazardous waste, but if you do take it into the woods, at least bury it deep enough in a low/no use area that it will eventually break down naturally. L.
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Really? Weird... I would've never thought of that. I asked my dad if he wanted me to find a way to get rid of the bats, and he said "Nah, they're good, they'll eat all the bugs." and I said "So will hummingbirds. Can I put more than one feeder up?" (getting all excited, of course), and he said a couple more, as long as I don't clutter the area. Yay!
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casi
Original Author
15 years ago
Yes, that is what they look like! Do they make a lot of noise? We don't even get to the door and they start making a terrible noise, which does kind of sound like bats. My husband looked it up on the PC and is said that after bats leave at night....cover up the entry way so they can't get in. So last night about 10:00 we went out there....guess what....they were still there!
buyorsell888
15 years ago
We had chimney swifts nest in our chimney. They were very noisy, during the day. They would bring the babies food all day. It was cool to stand on the lawn and watch them dive down the chimney.
tucker_sp
15 years ago
Yes, they're pretty noisy. They fly during the day, into the dusk, but roost at night. Since they're harmless, and don't spread disease, the best thing to do is wait until their nesting season is over and their babies are out and flying, then once they migrate south in the fall, close the cellar up so they can't get in next season.
Tucker

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