Lofty and Belfry were found on a "find the bat" expedition into the (supposedly sealed) area of the loft - I'd better explain - our loft is divided into two sections - the human bit where we keep our stuff - and the rest - for the bats.

Unfortunatley despite our best efforts there are still SOME little bats that manage to get into "our" bit then can't get out again.

We'd heard scratching noises from the loft hatch so it was Kirsty's turn (again) to go on a bat catching trip... Closing all the doors in the hallway so: (a) bats can't fly into the rooms, (b) cats can't get the bats and (c) there is less space for the bats to hide in.

As I let the hatch down slowly I found exactly what I expected - a tiny female bat (Belfry) clinging onto it for dear life - she didn't resist at all when I plucked her off and put her in the batbox.

Next I found a tiny dead youngster at the edge of the hatch who must have been stuck in there for a few days.

Finally I found Lofty sat next to one of the doors into the main loft space - he didn't resist either when I picked him up, also a youngster.

Lofty and Belfry had a few hours in different compartments in the batbox as it was still broad daylight, until the chairman of Durham Bat Group, Noel Jackson, arrived to help find any remaining in the house, check how and why the little rogues were getting in, and check the two little'uns were ok. Luckily he brought mealworms! :o)

Lofty and Belfry happily tucked into their mealworms, although Lofty tried to sink his teeth into my hand when the next mealworm was a bit slow in arriving in front of his nose.

Both were released after dinner and crawled up to the roost entrance, admittedly a bit slowly - but they were probably a bit full from stuffing on worms!