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Abstract Each year, billions of songbirds cross large ecological barriers during their migration. Understanding how they perform this incredible task is crucial to predict how global change may threaten the safety of such journeys. Earlier studies based on radar suggested that most songbirds cross deserts in intermittent flights at high altitude, stopping in the desert during the day, while recent tracking with light loggers suggested diurnal prolongation of nocturnal flights and common non-stop flights for some species. We analyzed light intensity and temperature data obtained from geolocation loggers deployed on 130 individuals of ten migratory songbird species, and show that a large variety of strategies for crossing deserts exists between, but also sometimes within species. Diurnal stopover in the desert is a common strategy in autumn, while most species prolonged some nocturnal flights into the day. Non-stop flights over the desert occurred more frequently in spring than in autumn, and more frequently in foliage gleaners. Temperature recordings suggest that songbirds crossed deserts with flight bouts performed at various altitudes according to species and season, along a gradient ranging from low above ground in autumn to probably >2000 m above ground level, and possibly at higher altitude in spring. High-altitude flights are therefore not the general rule for crossing deserts in migrant songbirds. We conclude that a diversity of migration strategies exists for desert crossing among songbirds, with variations between but also within species.

The results of bat research conducted in Stary Zhaden Zakaznik (area 170 km2, 51.9 N 27.6 E, central part of the Pripyat Polesia region, Southern Belarus) during 2015–2016 confirmed the occurrence of 12 species of bats (listed in descending order of occurrence): Pipistrellus pygmaeus, Nyctalus noctula, Vespertilio murinus, Plecotus auritus, Barbastella barbastellus, Myotis brandtii, Nyctalus lasiopterus, Pipistrellus nathusii, Nyctalus leisleri, Myotis nattereri, Eptesicus nilssonii, Myotis daubentonii. The breeding of five bat species in this region, such as B. barbastellus, M. brandthii, M. nattereri, E. nilssonii, and N. lasiopterus, is confirmed for the first time. Research results show the high significance of the Pripyat Polesia region in conservation of bats and biological diversity on both national and European scales.