The realization of the international project requires intensive teamwork. However, meeting in person very often is not easy, as each team member has other obligations and is particularly busy during the summer season. Despite this fact, personal meetings remain the most valuable way to get to know each other and share our experience and knowledge in the most natural way. To increase collaboration within the project, we organized a workshop for project members in Szob. It was held on August 22–23, 2026, at a converted farm wrapped by a stream and a semi-open landscape, less than one kilometer from the Slovak border.
We started the workshop with a visit to the Börzsöny Mountains, where Dávid Kováts showed us last year’s mist-netting site and patiently answered our questions regarding bats, nature, and local conservation. Following this short excursion, we began the presentation session. Each partner gave a short presentation about the area where they carry out project activities: Pálava in Czechia, the Visegrád Mountains in Hungary, and Devínska Kobyla Hill and the Burda Mountains in Slovakia. Knowing the basic facts about local fauna and flora, as well as landscape composition, is essential. Local experts, in particular, can deliver valuable information to enhance conservation actions. Furthermore, data on bat distribution are often unpublished, stored instead in notebooks, databases, or the minds of experts. In this context, organizing personal meetings is an effective way to synthesize available data on bat ecology and conservation measures. The first presentation focused on two Slovak areas: Devínska Kobyla and Burda. Michal Noga from Saola – conservation biology summarized available information from various sources, including speleologists, chiropterologists, and amateur underground explorers. He discussed bat species distribution across these areas alongside potential summer colonies. The most interesting aspect was a schematic of the underground space in the Burda Mountains—a complex of tunnels where colonies of Rhinolophus hipposideros or Myotis blythii can roost. Vladimír Nemček then added details on historical landscape management and use in these two areas, as well as general habitat characteristics.
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| Presentation session |
The Hungarian presentation was delivered by Dávid Kováts from the Vénic Nature Conservation Foundation. He introduced partners to the natural history of the Pilis-Visegrád and Börzsöny mountains. Data on past and ongoing bat research, alongside local population statistics, were particularly appreciated because they are either written in Hungarian, hidden in project reports, or unpublished entirely. The final presentation was led by Jan Zukal from the Institute of Vertebrate Biology (IVB). He presented foundational information regarding the Pálava Mountains and connected all project areas through the Pannonian biogeographical region, to which all the sites belong.
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| Dávid Kováts presents basic facts about the Visegrad mountains |
We finished the day with joint mist-netting in the Burda Mountains (Kováčov site). Despite low bat activity, we caught a few individuals of Myotis blythii, M. daubentonii, M. bechsteinii, Eptesicus serotinus, Plecotus auritus, and Barbastella barbastellus. Jakub Hodáň, a new team member, documented the event and took numerous photos of the bats.
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| Mist-netting in the Burda mountains |
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| Project team |
A few days after the workshop, on August 27, 2026, we organized a public event in the Železná Studnička area of the Bratislava City Forests to educate visitors and showcase our work. Adults and children arrived before sunset to observe bats in their natural environment. Michal Noga guided them through mist-netting and monitoring using bat detectors—specialized devices designed to register echolocation signals. We explained why bats are drawn to the area’s water bodies and mature forests and discussed the various species found around Bratislava.
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| The event in Železná Studnička, Bratislava City forests |
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| Waiting for bats |
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| Nyctalus noctula |
In September,
Saola, the
Institute of Vertebrate Biology, and
Dům přírody Hodonínské Dúbravy organized another public event in the city of Hodonín. Michal Noga, together with Jan Zukal and Kateřina Zukalová, revealed the mysteries of bat life to visitors. After a short introduction—where children were particularly engaged by miniature dioramas depicting bats in human-like scenarios—Jan and Kateřina introduced real bats currently undergoing rehabilitation. The highlight of the event was observing flying bats, specifically Noctules and Pipistrelles, at dusk. The evening culminated in a successful mist-netting session, where a Pipistrelle bat was captured. Jana Kalábková, representing
Dům přírody, helped foster a very friendly atmosphere. Although this was our first joint event organized with IVB and
Dům přírody Hodonínské Dúbravy, all partners deemed it a great success.
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| Observing bats in Dům přírody Hodonínské Dúbravy |
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| Posters prepared in the previous project |
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| The diorama - an old bat in the room |
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| The team responsible for preparation of the event |
