Yesterday we were outside obliterating some grass when my wife suddenly noticed something small and black in front of her mower. It was a tiny little bat!
Now, the day was quite hot and sunny and the little fella had landed straight on a freshly mowed lawn. I don't have a measure but air was probably over 27°C/80°F and there was no shade nearby. He probably fell from the rafters of the house next to him and we're certain that he couldn't have been there for more than a minute before we noticed him (or her - didn't check).
He didn't seem to be injured but instead of taking flight he was trying to crawl somewhere. I suspect that's because the sudden light and heat had scared the hell out of him. Just read that most bats can't take off from the ground. Oops.
We wanted to help him but also didn't want to touch him with bare hands. So I got an empty plastic bowl and he crawled in there. We brought him to a shady place behind a bush and then I took some pictures (below). After that I carried him around the house and released him in some dense fern that was growing there. The house and ferns were throwing shade, and he might even be able to crawl beneath the house too (not sure). I hope it was cool and moist enough there, but I couldn't think of any other place to put him. We also left a shallow dish with some water nearby, but I think he crawled in the other direction and didn't drink from it.
So my questions:
- Is this a baby bat or an adult? It was really tiny - could have fitted on my palm - but then mice and other such critters are tiny in general, so I don't know. As for the location - we're from Latvia and it was a rural area.
- Did I do the right thing to save him? If not, what should I have done? Will he be OK?