A change from Spain and Tenerife. This year’s family holiday would be in Bavarian Germany and I’d be driving there, with family (partner and two daughters) in my 13-year-old Nissan Almera loaded to the gunnels with luggage. Days gone by I’d have considered doing the 1140km journey in one go, but this time I took a sensible option of an overnight stay: Ibis Hotel in Livange, Luxembourg.
I’d anticipated that my nature finds would not reach the heights of 2015 in France and 2017 in Spain. Whilst that was true, it didn’t work out too bad and I was able to add a few species to my lepidoptera life-list . However, unlike Spain 2017 there wasn’t a final flourish of wildlife sightings. Basically, it was a case peaking early and fizzling out despite putting more hunting-time in at the latter end
The main problem though was that many of the photos didn’t come out as well as I would’ve hoped as you will see) Perhaps it was the wrong time to start using my relatively new macro 180 lens in anger. Perhaps I cannot take consistently good photos
As with all my holiday postings I will be padding them out with scenery and tourist location shots .. …perhaps more than usual out of necessity.
The first part of the journey to Livange (after an 08:30 ferry crossing from Dover to Dunkirk) was tough and the second stint to our destination of Oberstaufen im Allgau was even tougher. Without my eldest daughter as my co-pilot/navigator (who used my mobile phone’s GPS maps and gave me instructions for where to turn off) I’d have gone into meltdown.
The "Ibis" accommodation was OK, a sort of Premier Inn without the tea-making facilities (made me wonder what the adjoining “Ibis budget” block was like … it looked nicer from the exterior) . In the morning the weather was fine so I explored the ground around the Hotels while the ladies were getting ready. First butterfly up was a good-ole Meadow Brown (what else?) After that a Small Heath and a Gatekeeper were seen and photographed. Also seen were Small White and Common Blue . The latter would prove to be commonest lycaenid of the whole holiday, perhaps the commonest butterfly all told ……. and be difficult to photograph too.
Saturday 21/07/18: -Heading off from Livange I drove another 180Km or so before pulling in for a fuel and pee stop. The place: - Langasthaus Standenhof (nr. Pirmacesns) had a restaurant and veranda where the ladies immediately parked themselves for tea and cake. I used the petrol station & cafe at the other side of the parking area and while they waited an eternity for waiter’s service, I put some time in to explore the grassy banks around the car-park. No butterflies but a striking little moth which took me some time to identify . Initially I thought Pyrausta sanguinalis but the markings were not quite right and it had feathered antennae too. It turned out to be a macro moth (Geometer) Purple-barred Yellow (Lythria purpuraria) related to Small Purple-barred (which many of you may have encountered on Chalkland sites?) This moth does not occur in the UK. I also spent time trying to photograph a bird’s nest in the wooden beams in the roof of the restaurant veranda waiting for the adult to come in to feed it’s young. The restaurant proprietor all dolled-up in a smart suit was stood in the doorway but said nothing to me as I loitered waiting for my photograph chance. Unfortunately for me the bird would nip-in quickly and then use the ‘back-door’ for its exit so I didn’t get a good shot … but did manage to identify it as a Spotted Flycatcher . As all this was my first wildlife seen in Germany, I was anticipating exciting times ahead .
The rest of the Journey got tougher as we drove past the south of Stuttgart heading to Ulm encountering traffic jams from roadworks, where argy-bargy Quashqai-esque SUV cars would jump the queues diving in at the last minute . These hold-ups added around 2 hours onto my journey time and then around 100 miles from my destination it started raining . It varied from spitting to full down-pour but due to a fault with my wiper-motor, I only had manual operation (push on stick) or standard speed wipe, and needed to stop the car and switch the ignition off to kill the wipers (and to time-it correctly to get them in the park position). Having to do this whilst maintaining concentration at autobahn speeds (more on that later) added an unwelcome layer of hassle to the journey . When the weather is hot and dry the wipers work fine … but then of course you don’t need them).
We arrived at our resort Alpenblickhotel Oberstaufen at 10 to 6, and directed to our accommodation block apartment which could best be described as basic. Nevertheless, it was in a beautiful setting although on arrival the mountains were shrouded in rain-clouds .
It continued to rain for the rest of Saturday and through Sunday which made me very gloomy as you could imagine . I was itching to get out and do some butterflying but it would just have to wait . On the Sunday morning we explored the small town of Oberstaufen and marvelled at its buildings, state of the roads; pristine flowerbeds, the variety of shops with nothing boarded up, no graffiti or litter … all the things one would hope to expect in any civilised country. The washroom facilities everywhere, even motorway service stations, (self-cleaning toilet seats) were spotless . Everywhere else we went to in Germany was pretty much the same . We also explored the town of Isny, the small village of Steibis and the area around the cable-car station for the Hochgrat mountain, all in the Oberstaufen region. This cable-car station area would later be one of my butterfly hunting grounds .
The rain couldn’t last thankfully, and from Monday onwards through the rest of the holiday it was blue-skies with sunshine and hot hot hot. (but I’m not complaining ).
Monday 23rd.
Many of the grass banks surrounding the accommodation blocks (Haus) were unmown and contained chalkland meadow flora of vetches knapweeds and plantains etc. The banks were relatively steep and were overlooked from the resort accommodation block’s balconies from where the occupants could see me quartering them armed with my large camera and lens. No-one asked me what I was up to and throughout my entire holiday I didn’t see anyone else taking photos of wildlife …. and hardly anyone carrying a camera . All my hunting was accompanied by the perpetual sound of cowbells. Even at night you could hear their clanking
It took some work to find butterflies, a meadow Brown here and there and then I got a male Common Blue a Green-veined white and finally a blue (on the wrong side of a barbed-wire fence) which due to it’s green-blue scaling on the underside, I initially mistook it to be a Green-underside but later sussed it as Mazarine Blue (my first lifer)
For the afternoon we drove to Lindau along billiard table smooth roads and spent some time pedalo-boating on Bodensee (Lake Constance) and exploring the beautiful old town. The only species of butterfly I saw however was Small White.
The following morning whilst the others dozed, I explored around the accommodation blocks and took a woodland walk that was reached via an incline at the far end of the resort. The dense tree stands and darkness made everything virtually impossible to see when I tried locating bird calls. Something that did surprise me though was an abundance of the invasive plant Himalayan Balsam . I would do this woodland walk most mornings and venture further which would eventually lead me to some butterflies and other stuff.
Back on the grassy banks of the resort, there was more of the usual suspects (minus Mazarine Blue), with Common Blue; Meadow Brown; Small Heath and Green-veined White seen. A few moths too with Silver Y in abundance. Also, a fly-by Swallowtail which alluded for better to come (but sadly only a couple more fly-bys and no photos (in Germany)).
The best place for sighting birds was around the resort itself. Three species in particular were common: - Great tit; Pied Wagtail and Black Redstart
Also seen was a juvenile Red-backed Shrike a lifer for me .
Butterfly species seen so far. Meadow Brown; Small Heath; Gatekeeper; Common Blue; Small White; Mazarine Blue; Green-veined White & Swallowtail = 8 species (only) but more to come.
Holiday to Germany part 1
- Chris Jackson
- Posts: 1929
- Joined: Mon May 06, 2013 6:35 am
- Location: Marseilles, France
Re: Holiday to Germany part 1
Well done with the Mazarine Blue, Phil.
Plenty of good stories as usual.
You've missed your vocation as touristic journalist.
Chris.
Plenty of good stories as usual.
You've missed your vocation as touristic journalist.
Chris.
Re: Holiday to Germany part 1
A great start to the holiday report Philzoid, great shots of the Mazarine I don;t know if it will be a lifer for you but the Pied Wagtail in the UK (Motacilla alba yarrellii) is the British race, and on the continent it's a White Wagtail (Motacilla alba alba) Looking forward to the next installment as I have inside info on what's coming up
Have a goodun
Wurzel
Have a goodun
Wurzel
Re: Holiday to Germany part 1
Good that you picked up Mazarine Blue, Philzoid....as well as the sparrows which look tame enough to jump into your hand!
We don't get many reports from Germany on here, so I'll look forward to further posts with interest.
We don't get many reports from Germany on here, so I'll look forward to further posts with interest.
Re: Holiday to Germany part 1
Thank you all for your kind comments . Although the Mazarine Blue is very widespread and common it’s always a thrill to see and identify something you haven’t seen before. There are few more Mazarine shots in the postings to follow
The White Wagtail subspecies I knew about but named it “Pied” which may be a generic common term for this widespread bird(?) I had some adult shots but thought a juvenile would be better (less often seen and not as easy to identify for an inexperienced birder perhaps).
From memory I think there are seven sub-species of Motacilla alba but there may be more . If you hover the cursor over the image you’ll see I’ve named it ssp. alba. I think I uploaded M.alba alba from my holiday to Spain from last year?
If anyone is interested to know I have given most of my images lengthy file names to which relay the location as well as the species. A camera which tags GPS location may be a better way forward. I upload a lot onto iNaturalist.
Thanks for your comments about a touristic journalist Chris. I get concerned sometimes that some might think I should only be posting images of butterflies? To me (and others I’m sure) the report should capture the trials and tribulations of butterfly hunting in context with the locations and all the interesting encounters and distractions … in this case a family holiday .
Phil
The White Wagtail subspecies I knew about but named it “Pied” which may be a generic common term for this widespread bird(?) I had some adult shots but thought a juvenile would be better (less often seen and not as easy to identify for an inexperienced birder perhaps).
From memory I think there are seven sub-species of Motacilla alba but there may be more . If you hover the cursor over the image you’ll see I’ve named it ssp. alba. I think I uploaded M.alba alba from my holiday to Spain from last year?
If anyone is interested to know I have given most of my images lengthy file names to which relay the location as well as the species. A camera which tags GPS location may be a better way forward. I upload a lot onto iNaturalist.
Thanks for your comments about a touristic journalist Chris. I get concerned sometimes that some might think I should only be posting images of butterflies? To me (and others I’m sure) the report should capture the trials and tribulations of butterfly hunting in context with the locations and all the interesting encounters and distractions … in this case a family holiday .
Phil
- Charles Nicol
- Posts: 1618
- Joined: Mon May 14, 2007 12:57 pm
- Location: Cambridge
Re: Holiday to Germany part 1
Alles in ordnung. Please continue !
Am enjoying your German expedition
Charles
Am enjoying your German expedition
Charles
Re: Holiday to Germany part 1
Thanks Charles . Part 2a is now up. Hope you may be able to help with some "identifications required" in the later posts?
Phil
Phil
Re: Holiday to Germany part 1
Great report of your holiday and photos Philzoid.
Re your comment " I get concerned sometimes that some might think I should only be posting images of butterflies? To me (and others I’m sure) the report should capture the trials and tribulations of butterfly hunting in context with the locations and all the interesting encounters and distractions", for me I`m always interested in reading travel reports and seeing photos of those places. They provide a valuable guide to the natural history and what one might expect (or hope ) to see in a given location. As this is a site for butterflies it is only right that preference is given to their photos but any photo of a natural organism is good as far as I`m concerned (ErnieF`s non-butterfly snaps are another excellent example of this). More power to your camera elbow !
Jenks.
Re your comment " I get concerned sometimes that some might think I should only be posting images of butterflies? To me (and others I’m sure) the report should capture the trials and tribulations of butterfly hunting in context with the locations and all the interesting encounters and distractions", for me I`m always interested in reading travel reports and seeing photos of those places. They provide a valuable guide to the natural history and what one might expect (or hope ) to see in a given location. As this is a site for butterflies it is only right that preference is given to their photos but any photo of a natural organism is good as far as I`m concerned (ErnieF`s non-butterfly snaps are another excellent example of this). More power to your camera elbow !
Jenks.
Re: Holiday to Germany part 1
You've put it much better than I did. Thanks Jenks