In response to The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge: “(Extra)ordinary.”
Some rafters and some beams
You’d hardly look at twice –
That is, unless it seems
They have inverted mice!
These rodents do not much
Appear upon the ground:
In air, or out of touch,
They like to hang around.
This sight hardly heartbeat quickens –
Mother hen with batch of chickens …
But just take a better gander,
Mother hen’s a duckling-bander!
Layers of a different kind
In this picture one may find –
And, with habitation nil
Extraordinary, still.
Colonialist's Blog 
Where did you take the photo of the bats, Col? Mother hen with her adopted duckling is so cute and off course I loved the poem with it!
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The bats were at a church in Montclair, Durban. My jaw certainly dropped when I saw that those chicks with the hen … weren’t!
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As long as they’re not drop-bats.
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With inverted snobbery, bats do tend to be drop-outs. There is also the question of guano, although as fruit-eating tree-roosters it is questionable whether the fertilizer produced by these qualifies for that name.
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I’ve heard of bats in the belfry, but these are a bit too close for comfort. Please tell me that this isn’t in your house or even your garage. 😕 What a sweet pic of Mother hen with her brood, and I love that uninhabited landscape. Extra-ordinarily well done for the challenge, Col. 🙂
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These bats are in church eaves, but we had some nearly as close in a tree next to the house.
I did a double-take when I saw what that hen was mothering! Mama had either become a dearly departed duck – or had simply ducked out of the responsibility!
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Ooh! I have never seen a bat like that. Ours are tiny, grey.and a protected species.
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These are certainly among the largest. All bats should be protected – they do an enormous amount of good in propagation of plant-life and in keeping down the numbers of creepy-crawlies.
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Some good puns and pictures. Fun.
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I am in to Fun-to-see! And putting sonnets into punnets. 🙂
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Just LOVE bats! Also your “pomes”!
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Aren’t the bats great (bit disconcerting the way they stare, though) and the pomes awful!
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it is creepy but great photos all the same. Those mice/bats would freak me out if they were above my head.
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Thanks – their intent stare is a bit disconcerting – plus knowing that they could go into flop and flap mode if disturbed!
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Yikes… I would be still running now….
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Beautiful spread of land in that last picture! Sigh.
(Are those fox bats? I studied them as a kid and there were some with little fox faces)
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There is a species known as flying foxes. These, however, are Wahlberg’s epauletted fruit bats. They are large, with more dog-like than foxy features.
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I thought they might be a type of fruit bat. They are very cool looking. Appreciate the info.(And we do need to protect bats for crops and insect control…a bit worried about them here with some of the wind turbines chopping them…environmentalists are watching)
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Yes, that turbine ‘green’ energy has distinctly black patches. Solar still seems best, all things considered.
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We are still toddlers with them both. Sudden realization that if the solar farms are in the migratory path, the birds are actually frying. US Fish and game raised limits for energy farms on how many eagles, birds of prey they are allowed to kill each year…while a private citizen – even one of The People (always hated the words “native Americans” – first they didn’t/don’t call themselves Americans. The tribes have names.) who have religious connections – one bird and you’re the one fried. Must do better. More research and care – less rush to make profit
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I had no idea sun-gathering was also dangerous to birdlife. There is no doubt, though, that if minds were put to it safe alternatives could be worked out. They would cost more – and there, as you say, is the rub. The supreme god of profit would be offended.
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There’s always plus and minus – what upsets me is that the agencies knew the migratory path – we have major legislation protecting migratory birds, yet they allowed these farms (wind and solar) to be built in the wrong places – and the worst imaginable is now happening – with the bats, too. Self destruct issues for humans. We need to stop messing around and put money wasted into serious research – or offer prizes to private citizens who solve big problems and benefit mankind. (Sorry for the rant, but we started with these issues in the 60’s and it’s still stagnant….it’s a cycle of distracted attention and then the panic of realization going over and over. Nuts!)
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I can’t help thinking that the people who do the environmental assessments simply CAN’T be that stupid, so perhaps they are more intent on assessing the improved environment of their bank balances after some kickbacks cunningly come their way.
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Here, it’s what happens when the winning political party repays favors and totally unqualified people get a position…and then there are the perks from big companies that benefit from actions – those perks continue long after leaving office…
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