Location
All activities will be carried out in the Abruzzo Lazio and Molise National Park, central Italy. This is one of the most important European parks and is home to many exciting animal species, from brown bears to wolves and Apennine chamois. The area also hosts 24 bat species and is the ideal location to acquire hands-on experience in acoustic identification.
Training period
15-18 June 2016
Participants should reach Pescasseroli on the 15th by 17.00 so that they will be able to join the evening practicals on the same day and the morning lectures on the 16th. Participant departure is planned on the 18th at 12:00.
On the 15th, participants will be welcomed by the course staff in Pescasseroli at 17.00. The meeting point is the entrance to the Park headquarters in Pescasseroli (via Santa Lucia) in front of the hotel named "Grand Hotel del Parco".
Course description
Practical experiences
Field recording of echolocation and social calls broadcast by bats; laboratory (PC-assisted sound analysis).
Seminars
Basics of bat biology; echolocation; acoustic identification of bats; sound analysis.
Course schedule
Day 1: 15 June
20:30 Brief practical introduction to bat detectors - field work
Day 2: 16 June
08:30-12:30 Lectures. Basics of sound analysis, Bat echolocation, Echolocation call structure.
13:00-15:00 Lunch at the hotel.
15:10-18:00 Indoor practicals. Use of sound analysis software. Analysis of selected bat calls from different species.
20:00-23:00 Field work. Field recording of bat calls in forest. Demonstration of usage of manual and automatic bat recorders.
Day 3: 17 June
09:00-11:00 Lecture. Qualitative vs. quantitative identification of bat calls.
11:30-12:30 Indoor practicals. Analysis of bat calls recorded on previous evening.
13:00-15:00 Lunch.
15:00-18:00 Analysis of bat calls recorded on previous evening
20:00-23:00 Field work. Field recording of bat calls in different habitats (river / urban areas).
Day 4: 18 June
09:00-11:00 Indoor practicals. Analysis of calls recorded on previous night.
11:00-12:00 Closing remarks.
Important note
Participants should bring their own laptop computer. In case they own a bat detector, they are also warmly invited to bring it with them.
Target Audience
Undergraduates, postgraduates with an interest in mammal biology / ecology / behaviour, free-lance zoologists working in environmental impact assessment.
The course will only take place if a minimum of 10 participants is reached. No more than 30 trainees will be accepted. If more than 30 applications are submitted, acceptance will be based on the trainee's CV and the application's date of submission.
Course language
English
Training provider
Dr Danilo Russo
Wildlife Research Unit
Laboratorio di Ecologia Applicata, Dipartimento di Agraria
Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II
Via Università 100, 80055 Portici (Napoli), Italy
Dr Russo is one of the most experienced European bat researchers in the field of acoustic identification of bats. At least three experienced bat detector users besides Dr Russo will assist the trainees during the course.
Course organiser
Distributed European School of Taxonomy (DEST)
Registration fee
Registration fee: 380 EUR. Registration fee includes 3 nights at the hotel, breakfast and two lunches, plus all organization costs. It does not cover your own travel costs.
Participants are responsible for organizing their own travel to the course location. Participants flying or getting a train to Italy should ideally reach Naples or Rome. From there, Pescasseroli can be easily reached by public transportation in ca. 3 hrs. Bus tickets cost ca. 15 euros. It may also be easily reached by car (ca. 2.5 hrs drive from the above-mentioned cities). Details on how to reach Pescasseroli will be provided to all participants.
Accommodation
Participants will stay in Pescasseroli at Hotel Iris (Via Fontana della Difesa, 1 67032 PESCASSEROLI (AQ)). The hotel is located at walking distance from both the conference room and the field sites. Accommodation will be in shared rooms. Depending on availability, staying in a single room can be arranged and will cost 30 euro extra.
Registration
Deadline for registration: 1 March 2016
Click here for the registration form.
Payment
Payment details and deadline will be provided upon acceptance to the training.
Info su:
http://taxonomytraining.eu/content/acoustic-identification-bats-1
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