13 September 2023

Prague-area mammals

Hi All,

I have a couple of days in Prague in early November (after a trip to see family in adjacent Germany) and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on Prague-area day-trips or guides where mammals might be a possibility.

Thanks

Rob

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Robert Foster
I am an ecological consultant based in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada with a strong interest in mammals (and other taxa).
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5 Comments

  • 14 September 2023
    JoeyBrunk

    Rob,

    I am currently playing basketball about an hour east of Prague. I read online about mouflon that were introduced to the area in the 60s and can be seen near the grounds of a hospital outside the city. If you go on any day trips around the area or find anything else, please send me an email (joeybrunk50@gmail.com) Hope to connect soon.

  • 15 September 2023
    JanEbr

    I am now, somewhat involuntarily, back to living in Prague, so depending on what days in early November, I could go somewhere with you, if you wish. It’s not the most exciting area though, in particular in November – I know good sites for Hamsters, Sousliks and Fat Dormice, but alas, all those will be hibernating in November. The hospital mentioned above does exist (its FTN Krč) and the Mouflon are almost always present (but do not feel terribly wild). The easy mammals to see around are Roe Deers, European Hare, (introduced) Coypu, Brown Rat, the two Apodemus species (sylvaticus and flavicolis) and Common Vole (depending on the population fluctuations). I know some places with Beavers and we could look for Harvest mice, but it’s hit or miss (depends on what vegetation grew where this year). There are bound to be Red Squirrels and Wild Boar somewhere, but I’d have to search first. Night drives can produce Red Fox and Badgers, there also should be Stone Martens right in the city, but we have not seen them here. A friend of mine had both Polecat species on trailcams and some scarce sightings nearby, but we never got them. In November there will already be a few species of wintering bats in mining tunnels a little outside the city. My email is janebr@email.cz

  • 20 September 2023
    KyleFinn

    Hi, I will also be in Czech Republic in early November. I will be in Ceske Budejovice actually but could take a train to the city to meet up. I would have the 4th and 5th available to meet up.

  • 25 September 2023
    danhps

    I was in Prague in December 2022 and I highly recommend Jan Studecky (Studecky999@seznam.cz), who took me out for a night of mammal-watching with a thermal imager and spotlight. It was excellent!

    I also contacted Jan Grünwald (honzagrunwald@gmail.com), who also does guiding. In my case he recommended going with Jan Studecky. Both Jans are friends so no harm in contacting one or both.

  • 1 October 2023
    JanEbr

    I can definitely agree with recommendation for Jan Studecky – he is a friend of mine and he is a fantastic all-around naturalist. Jan Grunwald as well, but he told me that he doesn’t feel confident showing people mammals (he is much more into birds). Yes, Jan is a very common Czech first name and when we three meet, our attempts to communicate are hilarious 🙂

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