Is there any point in visiting Ekoworkshop? And do you know Drien?

I have loved nature since I was a little girl and I have been looking for ways to educate myself about nature, but also to do something real for it.
That’s why I was so excited when I was able to get to know the Planet Lover organization through my participation in the Eco-Olympics.
I remember with a little bit of a crush I went looking for their website and social media, hoping that they were also doing some activities for high school students. I hadn’t come across anything like that until then, so I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they were educating young people through Ekoworkshop.
Of course, I decided then and there that I would sign up for it as soon as I could. I waited patiently until September while I was amazed to see all the activities and posts that Planet Lover was posting on social media.
At the beginning of the school year, I was finally able to sign up. Ironically, I missed the very first class, but our coordinator Sasha was happy to make time for me at the next one and was happy to explain everything to me.

From the very first moment I felt very comfortable and comfortable in the class… Everyone there is extremely nice, hardworking and as passionate about a better future as I am.
The very first hour I learned a huge amount of interesting information and got some tips for improvement. What surprised me (and can still surprise me) are the occasional “reality checks”. These are the moments when we learn that some thing that we have automatically perceived as a big “bogeyman” so far, may in fact be quite different, or conversely an everyday thing may in turn have an impact for us that we could not even imagine.
In addition to theoretical knowledge, we also acquire practical skills. In order to receive a certificate of completion of the Ekoworkshop, we must, among other things, participate in a common activity. One of these activities was our trip to Drienovec.

Drienovec is a small village located near Košice. In spring and autumn, during the bird migration, ornithology experts meet here and for a few months an ornithological station is established in a nearby wetland. It’s like a research station where little birds are caught in shock nets to observe their migration routes.
Thanks to our knowledge of bird migration routes, we humans can ensure that we do not interfere with their migration and endanger the little birds as little as possible on their journey.

The research begins with the bird in question being caught in a net. The ornithologist present has to get it out of it as soon as possible and then an identification ring is put on the bird with the appropriate code that belongs only to him/her. The ornithologist may also weigh the bird or check it for any disease. All the necessary information is written down and later uploaded into the system. This way, things like population size, disease prevalence, average age, etc. can also be found out.

If a given bird is caught at some other station in another country, the relevant ornithologists contact the Slovak ones and thanks to this we can describe the migration routes of certain species.

During our day at Drienovski stationary we saw many species of birds. We were probably most happy to see the tern, but of course we were also fascinated by many other birds.

The whole excursion was excellently guided by Mr. Associate Professor Martin Hromada, who is also a professor at the University of Prešov. Apart from Drienovec, he also showed us other beauties of the Slovak Karst, such as the Háj waterfalls or the Zádiel valley. While we soaked up all the wonders around us, at every step new knowledge that Mr. Docent told us was thrown at us. But everything was presented in such an interesting way that when I returned home, I felt that I had learned more in two days than I had in several months at school.

I’m incredibly grateful for this trip and I’m looking forward to the other things that are waiting for me thanks to Ekoworkshop.

I definitely recommend Ekoworkshop to anyone who wants to grow and educate themselves in this area. At times it may be a bit out of our comfort zone, but it is through this that we improve and gain new experiences and knowledge about our beautiful planet.

My name is Julka and I am 18 years old. I come from Dolna Trnávka, but I currently spend most of my time in Banská Štiavnica, where I also study. I love nature, animals and music. In my free time I like to play guitar or go for long walks with my dogs.