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- For the third year running the group arranged a bat training
course focusing on techniques for monitoring bats. Twenty-four people from all
over Norway attended the course, which was held close to the lake Lyseren in
Enebakk between 4th and 6th July, 2003. Lectures included species identification
using ultrasonic bat detectors, sound analysis, species identification of bats
in the hand and methods for colony searches. Four colonies were found, including
one brown long-eared bat colony in a church and three Daubenton's bat colonies
(one in a tree hollow, one in a stone bridge and one in a rock face).
- As part of the European Bat Night, bat walks were held in 14
locations around Norway on 20th and 21st August 2003. In total, over 400 people
came to learn more about bats and listen to echolocation calls using bat
detectors.
- The group has been monitoring eight mines in southern Norway
for hibernating bats for the past 6 years. These mines were surveyed again in
the winter of 2003. Many of the participants from the bat training course came
to practise their skills in identifying bats and to assist in counting the bats
along many kilometres of caves.
- The county of Voss in Western Norway asked NZFF to carry out
a bat survey during the summer of 2003. Several members of NZFF were also
involved in summer survey work in other counties, following requests from the
local county councils.
- The group has continued to man a telephone dedicated to
dealing with questions from the public about bats. Since this bat hot-line was
established in 2001 the group has received many calls from people with
information about the locations of colonies or people with problems caused by
bats in their houses.
- The bat rehabilitation centre, which was established in the
winter of 2000/2001, has continued to take in injured bats. This rehabilitation
centre is the only approved centre in Norway. Injured bats are given veterinary
attention and looked after until they can be released as close as possible to
the site where they were found.
- An information brochure about bats in Norwegian forests and
bat friendly forest-management practices was completed with support from the
Directorate for Nature Management and the Ministry of Agriculture. The brochure
was distributed to forest-management authorities in municipalities and counties
as well as to private forestry associations.
- The group has continued to update its web pages about bats
in Norway.
- "Tragus", the national discussion group on the
internet for bat enthusiasts which was established in 2001, has continued to
provide a forum for bat discussions in Norway.
- Many bat walks and discussion were held by NZFF in various
locations around the country in order to increase public awareness about bats
and the conservation of bats in Norway.
- In 2001, 45 bat boxes were hung up in four areas around
Oslo. These boxes were checked again in 2003. Although it has been documented in
other countries that bats often use bat boxes, those hung up in Oslo have not
yet attracted any local bats.
- NZFF has participated in international meetings and
workshops concerning bats. These were the 8th meeting of the Advisory Committee
for Eurobats, which was held in Røros, Norway 12th - 14th May, 2003; a workshop
held in France, arranged by the Bat Conservation Trust in England, for bat
groups in different countries to exchange ideas, experiences and techniques; and
the workshop "On the situation of the Brandt's Bat and Whiskered Bat group
in Europe", in Alexisbad, Germany 20-22 June 2003.
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