Tag Archives: bat

Bat Cover Story in National Geographic Magazine – Georgia

Posted on by
Reply

Look what I have! I am holding something very special! My bat cover feature story, Night Shift, is inside National Geographic Magazine — Georgia!

It’s all over: terrifying moments when nothing worked, when we couldn’t find bat colonies and perform photo shooting or the animals escaped and stultified our efforts; moments full of joy when we got more than expected; hot summer fieldwork when we dreamed the night would come quickly and bring some coolness.  

Stunning bat photographs by Viktor Lyagushkin (Vitya, CONGRATULATIONS!), ten spreads, 3,000 words, 67 days in the field.

It is winter here in Georgia, and our wingy models are hibernating. Sleep well, my bats; we did a great job!

Many thanks to the editorial team of National Geographic Magazine – Georgia for the fantastic work and great layout and your hints and ideas! Ruso and Katie, you are the best! Thank you, chiropterologists Ioseb (Soso) Natradze, Giorgi Sheklashvili, Alexander Bukhnikashvili, and Andrey Kandaurov, for your patience, friendly support, and knowledge; it was so lovely to work with you! Many thanks to Valeri Barbaqadze for your expertise in caves and to Amiran and Irina Tkabladze for your kindness and hospitality. 

Bat Lectures For Students

Posted on by
Reply

That’s me, Bohdana Vashchenko, lecturing about bats for the 4th-grade students of Ilia State University (Tbilisi) ecotourism faculty on Wednesday, 20 December, 2023. We had a great conversation about the extraordinary abilities of bats and their important role in Georgia’s ecosystems. We also busted some common myths about these fascinating creatures. We also discussed how bats contribute to agroecosystems and how to start bat ecotourism in Georgia. 

Thank you, Natalia Bakhtadze Engländer and Ilia University, for this possibility! Thank you, Alexander Bukhnikashvili and Sofo, for coming and sharing your experience, brilliant humor, and knowledge of bats. 

Bats Of Georgia: The Lecture At Akaki Tsereteli State University

Posted on by
Reply

I lectured at Akaki Tsereteli State University (Kutaisi, Georgia) on Monday, 25 November 2023. The talk was attended by students from the geography, biology, and ecology faculties in the 1st to 4th courses. National Geographic photographer @viktor_lyagushkin and I spoke at length about our project, funded by the National Geographic Society, which was dedicated to the bats of Georgia. We discussed bats’ unique abilities and the role of bats in Georgia’s ecosystems and debunked some of the myths surrounding them. We also talked about the importance of storytelling and community engagement.

I had the great pleasure of having such an interested and open-minded audience. I appreciate their enthusiasm and engagement. I want to express my gratitude to Irakli Julakidze for making this lecture possible and for his kind assistance during the event.