What’s New!

Welcome to the new Ecophysiology Biologging Lab @ the University of Melbourne!

Our paper on conversion efficiency in small migratory bats is out!

Finally made it home after 2 years! All this beauty- why did I ever leave!

Final Field Season :(

Very sad to say goodbye to my field site in Latvia for the last 4 years. Even more sad to say goodbye to all these wonderful people, without whom this work wouldn’t have been possible!

I was able to capture a little footage of the birds in the wind tunnel this year- albeit with my phone…! Edited together by the skillful Christopher Darby.

Another Great field season!

Not even the COVID pandemic could stop me- but I was a lucky one. Definitely feeling for all the people whose field work was cancelled this year. Here’s to a brighter 2021!

Follow the Kharkiv Bat Group on Facebook to learn about their amazing efforts to help bats in Ukraine! Please DONATE these guys do amazing work on extremely limited funds. Every penny counts!

https://www.facebook.com/KharkivBatGroup/

On the way to the #IBRC2019 in Thailand. Took a detour to this amazing site to see millions of bats exiting their cave for their breakfast!

Pape Ornithological Station, Latvia

Spent some time in Pape again to capture some Blackcaps (Sylvia atricapilla) for details on fuel use during migration. The by-catch was definitely a bonus! What a handful of joy these little Goldcrests are!!

Pape, Latvia- Bat Migration

Joined the team in Pape this year to catch some bats in their amazing funnel trap! What a great experience!

WINDY CONDITIONS

Some stills from an upcoming documentary directed by Benoit Demarle for ARTE and filmed during our training sessions for Pipistrellus nathusii learning to fly in the wind tunnel.

Lund Adventures- Take 2

1 fully packed car, 1 cross-country bridge, 1 plane ride, 1 documentary film crew, 2 research institutes, 3 ferries (2 overnight), 4 days, 5 countries, 2000km of driving and endless wonderful sights.

All to get me to Lund where I’m working for the next 2 months studying energetics and biomechanics of flight in migratory bats!

Humboldt Fellowship Breakfast

Not so long ago I had the pleasure to be invited to the Australian Embassy in Berlin for a breakfast with the Ambassador. We had a great discussion about how Australian-German Research relations can be made stronger and how essential the link between research institutes, industry and academia must be to promote scientific careers.

LUND ADVENTURES

I was recently in Lund, Sweden meeting with Prof Anders Hedenstrom and checking out their cool wind tunnel facilities. What a beautiful campus!

SeewIesen fun times!

Cant get enough of these Noctule bats!

BaT at it again…

collecting some exciting data on energetics, heart rate, behaviour and movement ecology of our beloved Rousettus aegyptiacus!

Pigeons in Rome

I had the pleasure of going to Rome to help out Paolo Becciu collect some heart rate data from homing pigeons as part of his PhD research alongside Nir Sapir and Giacomo Dell'Omo

Berlin Bats

Here's a pic of our hibernacula survey in Prieros, Germany. Gorgeous Nyctalus noctula.

Rousettus

During my last few weeks in Israel, Sasha Danilovich-Bergman agreed to help me take some pictures of these beautiful bats from my research flying along our flight corridor (right). While these sleepy little pups (left) were rescued by our resident bat mama Lee Harten .

SleepY Dormice

While on a trip to Vienna to visit some friends and colleagues I was lucky enough to help out with a nestbox check where we discovered these little guys! Rare find in these nestboxes- two hibernating Harvest Dormice curled up in their perfect little round nest. 

Farewell Tel Aviv

My little mark on the Bat Facility at Tel Aviv University to symbolize my  research and the wonderful time I had in the Yovel Bat Lab.