Holiday to Germany part 6b
Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2018 9:08 pm
hope y'aall like reading there's plenty in this part.
Back at the ranch the others had spent some of their day using the resorts swimming pool; 10-pin bowling alley and playing pool while I’d been doing my butterflying. They said they wanted to go out on another trip somewhere but weren’t too enthusiastic (apart from my eldest) when I suggested Neuschwanstein Castle outside Füssen
. In my opinion if you’re in Bavarian Germany you have to go and see this amazing castle. And, as they couldn’t come up with any other suggestions Neuschwanstein won 
.
The drive wasn’t too bad and we soon got parked up. However, what was bothering the others was the steep walk up to get to the castle. Despite my sore feet I was determined to get some exercise so I said I’d walk whilst they all took the bus. On the way I encountered lots of fly-by White Admiral in the woods either side of the access road
. The going up wasn’t too bad at all but the walk down in my boots really took it out of my poor feet which were now developing painful blisters 
.
There were masses of tourists to be 'exploited', but you were allowed to enter the outer courtyard free of charge and use the toilet facilities. Around the back of the castle mounted on a steep platform of rock, I spied another one of those ‘woodland Erebias’ .. another Arran Brown perhaps? For some unknown reason I’d left my DSLR 180mm macro camera set-up behind in the car (perhaps due to the weight of it) and I only had the D1100 with kit lens which proved useless trying to shoot this twitchy butterfly in a mostly shaded area. I had to rely on my FZ-72 which got me this surprise record shot, a Scotch Argus Erebia aethiops and another lifer
(I've yet to get to Aston Rowant)
The butterfly moved around disappearing and re-appearing but always difficult to spot. I felt very self-conscious amidst the bustling crowds of tourists, standing around staring at the ground praying for a butterfly to hurry up and re-appear (occasionally having to move aside to allow others to get in the best places to take their castle photos & selfies) 
. Butterflying isn’t always about being on your own and being able to do your own thing.
Through the powers of modern telecommunications, I was able to meet up with the others but their priority was to catch their return bus whilst mine was to wait in a big queue to get on the ‘flimsy bridge’ for the scenic castle shot.
Sore feet but well worth it. My first ever Scotch Argus in an unexpected and marvellous location .
On the way back to Oberstaufen we passed through Immenstadt and by the lake Alpsee where cars were parked by the roadside and there were crowds of sunbathers and swimmers in the lake. This would be the ‘beach aspect’ of our holiday which is what the others were itching for .
Species count now up to 36 with 9 lifers.
31/07/18: - In the morning I drove into Oberstaufen to pick up some provisions and Blister plasters. As I’d never used blister-plasters before, I didn’t realise that they had to remain on until they were ready to come off of their own accord, and tore-open one my blisters removing the plaster durrr
…. Dressings and sticking plasters were needed now 
.
Anyway, deciding where to go for late morning into the afternoon was easy: lake Alpsee. As I didn’t want to risk aggravating my sunburn, I made some alternative plans for myself for the latter part of the afternoon which would keep my legs covered-up whilst the others could enjoy their day on the beach
. At Immenstadt there is a car-park at the tourist information centre which is in close proximity to the lake and places to hire boats from. Two canoes for two hours were a great way to see the lake; surrounding countryside and to drink in the gallons of fresh air. After that period of activity, we made our way to a café passing the Konstanzer Ach river which fed the lake and it was teeming with fish 
. My camera was in the car (again) and when I got back the ‘massive’ 2.5 and 3ft Pike had disappeared . I got lots of other fish shots though: - (Chub; Perch; roach and Bream). The Perch is an example below.
We sat down for drinks and some ice-creams and got talking to a friendly German couple (who like most we met could speak good English). Below my table I spotted a lizard and took a photo. The German man told me it was a "Zauneidechse" (Fence Lizard) which we know as Sand lizard Lacerta agilis (another lifer) .
Gone half past two it was time for me to split with a promise that I’d be back for 6 O’clock. The plan was another visit to Hochgrat mountain but I would need to get my skates on. On the way to the car a male Common Blue distracted me and then on the road, a slow-moving tractor on the main road to Oberstaufen shaved off more of my precious time 
. Another 25 minutes cable-car journey to the top of Hochgrat left me with an hour to spare max .
First butterfly encountered was Erebia manto Yellow-spotted Ringlet.
The next butterfly was one of the ones I’d really come to see although I'd have preferred a less raggy looking example: - Colias phicomone, Mountain Clouded Yellow.
Back in “my patch” I was able to get a Silver-spotted Skipper
...... and a Marbled White which is heavier on the dark areas I think than the nominate one
A frequently seen moth I haven’t been able to identify
In the end I had to dash. No more Large Wall; Pyrgus Skippers or cloudies seen 
. I made it back to Immenstadt on time and heard all the tales of bruises and scrapes acquired from having to clamber over unseen rocks in the lake … not quite the sort of beach we’ve grown accustomed to on holiday 
.
We drove to Oberstaufen to pick up more provisions at the Norma supermarket (and recycle out plastic bottle empties (feed them into a machine and it prints you out a cash voucher to spend in the shop … great idea 
)) and in the car park was a Trabant . I hadn’t seen one ‘in the wild’ since going to Prague over 22 years ago
01/08/18
All my butterflying with exception of the morning forays had been rush jobs and unlike France and perhaps Spain, the returns had been relatively meagre for the time put in. This time I negotiated a ‘whole day’ out while the others went back to the Aquaria water park for the day.
So where to go? On my various travels I’d noted some spots which I hoped would prove to be good. My first choice was to head towards Immenstadt but turn off at Hundle to take a narrow country road towards Buchneggar. Unfortunately, as was mostly the case, the majority of the fields were fenced off with barbed wire (did manage to grab a shot of a Sooty) although further on I found a promising looking spot where I saw Common Blue; Small White; Silver-washed; Brimstone and Small Skipper.
In another area close-by, a stony track housed a Speckled Wood and also another lizard. The Specklie was twitchy but I managed to photo the small lizard which I think is (a young) Lacerta agilis again
Next, I took the car back to the spot where I’d photographed the Sooty and thought “what the hell let’s do it” and crawled under the barbed wire. At last, I was in a grassy meadow with a chance to find some butterflies .. perhaps something new ? That something new did turn up in the shape of a Clouded yellow which whizzed by but then went down to take nectar. I chased after, got down to its low level (increasingly difficult for me these days ) moved in closer and loosed off a few shots, whilst trying to get the camera set up correctly. Then just as I was about to take the ‘killer shot’ the butterfly decided it was time to go and a waft of breeze did the rest .
I was happy but also gutted as I just knew this cloudie would be a one-off. In my main meadow in La Bastide de Serou, France there were butterflies galore including Clouded Yellow . The only limiting factor on my staying there all day was how long I could stand the heat for. This meadow required a lot more searching but in the end I picked up a female Meadow Brown; female Mazarine Blue and (at last) a Tabanus sudeticus hoverfly which dived down on the grass and was very difficult to photograph. The image is heavily reworked as a result..
The next port of call had me heading North-west away from Oberstaufen to a lay-by and a clearing in some woods. There were Dragonflies; Silver-washed; Green-veined and Marbled Whites but wading in the long grass but I couldn’t get anywhere near them for a decent picture. Plus, I was concerned about ticks. The young barman at the hotel had told me he’d been bitten at least four times and routinely gets vaccinated against Tick-borne Encephalitis (something I tried for but left too late)
Conscious that time was passing and that I hadn’t found that ‘magic location’ I jumped back in the car and headed back to Oberstaufen, then through Weissach heading south-west until I crossed the border at Aach into Austria.
A sign saying nature reserve led me unwisely to drive up a woodland track where I nearly got my car stranded. Time to move on. Next small town/village was Krumbach and then a nicer small town called Hittisau (which doesn’t sound Germanic ?). I stopped here and found a hotel bar for a half of Austrian Mohren bräu bier (even better than the German ) and a view of my photos. Afterwards a stroll around a small supermarket (both German and Austrian food prices slightly cheaper than in UK) to buy snacks for lunch. A little walk and then back on the road to find that elusive butterfly meadow.
I took a side road (past a farm which had geese in a field) that climbed up a small mountain to Sausteig but everywhere I looked there were no places either to pull in or unfenced meadows to explore. The scenery was stunning but the roads grew narrower as I ventured further so in the end I realised I would have to turn and head back to the L5main road. Essentially, my driving had taken me on a huge arc of 180 degrees and I found myself entering Germany again. At a plush hotel in Balderschwang I was told that the best (shortest route) back to Oberstaufen was to go back the way I’d come .
So in the end all that driving and no real wildlife moments, certainly not in Austria. Still determined to try and get something more I headed back to Hochgrat cable-car station but pulled in just before at a stopping place I’d previously noted (and not private property). As I went to the back of the car to get my cameras from the boot, I noticed a small butterfly on the purple flowers of a horse mint plant (Mentha longifolia) and in an instant I knew what it was … a White-letter hairstreak, this time no argument .
This one was damaged, definitely faded, the orange bands almost bleached but hey, a Hairstreak is a Hairstreak
Species count now 37 (Clouded Yellow).
To be continued.
Back at the ranch the others had spent some of their day using the resorts swimming pool; 10-pin bowling alley and playing pool while I’d been doing my butterflying. They said they wanted to go out on another trip somewhere but weren’t too enthusiastic (apart from my eldest) when I suggested Neuschwanstein Castle outside Füssen
. In my opinion if you’re in Bavarian Germany you have to go and see this amazing castle. And, as they couldn’t come up with any other suggestions Neuschwanstein won . The drive wasn’t too bad and we soon got parked up. However, what was bothering the others was the steep walk up to get to the castle. Despite my sore feet I was determined to get some exercise so I said I’d walk whilst they all took the bus. On the way I encountered lots of fly-by White Admiral in the woods either side of the access road
. The going up wasn’t too bad at all but the walk down in my boots really took it out of my poor feet which were now developing painful blisters .There were masses of tourists to be 'exploited', but you were allowed to enter the outer courtyard free of charge and use the toilet facilities. Around the back of the castle mounted on a steep platform of rock, I spied another one of those ‘woodland Erebias’ .. another Arran Brown perhaps? For some unknown reason I’d left my DSLR 180mm macro camera set-up behind in the car (perhaps due to the weight of it) and I only had the D1100 with kit lens which proved useless trying to shoot this twitchy butterfly in a mostly shaded area. I had to rely on my FZ-72 which got me this surprise record shot, a Scotch Argus Erebia aethiops and another lifer
(I've yet to get to Aston Rowant) . Butterflying isn’t always about being on your own and being able to do your own thing.Through the powers of modern telecommunications, I was able to meet up with the others but their priority was to catch their return bus whilst mine was to wait in a big queue to get on the ‘flimsy bridge’ for the scenic castle shot.
.On the way back to Oberstaufen we passed through Immenstadt and by the lake Alpsee where cars were parked by the roadside and there were crowds of sunbathers and swimmers in the lake. This would be the ‘beach aspect’ of our holiday which is what the others were itching for
.Species count now up to 36 with 9 lifers.
31/07/18: - In the morning I drove into Oberstaufen to pick up some provisions and Blister plasters. As I’d never used blister-plasters before, I didn’t realise that they had to remain on until they were ready to come off of their own accord, and tore-open one my blisters removing the plaster durrr
…. Dressings and sticking plasters were needed now . Anyway, deciding where to go for late morning into the afternoon was easy: lake Alpsee. As I didn’t want to risk aggravating my sunburn, I made some alternative plans for myself for the latter part of the afternoon which would keep my legs covered-up whilst the others could enjoy their day on the beach
. At Immenstadt there is a car-park at the tourist information centre which is in close proximity to the lake and places to hire boats from. Two canoes for two hours were a great way to see the lake; surrounding countryside and to drink in the gallons of fresh air. After that period of activity, we made our way to a café passing the Konstanzer Ach river which fed the lake and it was teeming with fish . My camera was in the car (again) and when I got back the ‘massive’ 2.5 and 3ft Pike had disappeared . I got lots of other fish shots though: - (Chub; Perch; roach and Bream). The Perch is an example below. .- Photo heavily re-worked as shot under a red café-table parasol
. Another 25 minutes cable-car journey to the top of Hochgrat left me with an hour to spare max .First butterfly encountered was Erebia manto Yellow-spotted Ringlet.
. I made it back to Immenstadt on time and heard all the tales of bruises and scrapes acquired from having to clamber over unseen rocks in the lake … not quite the sort of beach we’ve grown accustomed to on holiday .We drove to Oberstaufen to pick up more provisions at the Norma supermarket (and recycle out plastic bottle empties (feed them into a machine and it prints you out a cash voucher to spend in the shop … great idea
)) and in the car park was a Trabant . I hadn’t seen one ‘in the wild’ since going to Prague over 22 years ago All my butterflying with exception of the morning forays had been rush jobs and unlike France and perhaps Spain, the returns had been relatively meagre for the time put in. This time I negotiated a ‘whole day’ out while the others went back to the Aquaria water park for the day.
So where to go? On my various travels I’d noted some spots which I hoped would prove to be good. My first choice was to head towards Immenstadt but turn off at Hundle to take a narrow country road towards Buchneggar. Unfortunately, as was mostly the case, the majority of the fields were fenced off with barbed wire (did manage to grab a shot of a Sooty) although further on I found a promising looking spot where I saw Common Blue; Small White; Silver-washed; Brimstone and Small Skipper.
- Sooty Copper. Wrong side of the fence
? That something new did turn up in the shape of a Clouded yellow which whizzed by but then went down to take nectar. I chased after, got down to its low level (increasingly difficult for me these days ) moved in closer and loosed off a few shots, whilst trying to get the camera set up correctly. Then just as I was about to take the ‘killer shot’ the butterfly decided it was time to go and a waft of breeze did the rest . . The only limiting factor on my staying there all day was how long I could stand the heat for. This meadow required a lot more searching but in the end I picked up a female Meadow Brown; female Mazarine Blue and (at last) a Tabanus sudeticus hoverfly which dived down on the grass and was very difficult to photograph. The image is heavily reworked as a result.. - Behemothic Horse Fly. Only a fly ...but a Big one
Conscious that time was passing and that I hadn’t found that ‘magic location’ I jumped back in the car and headed back to Oberstaufen, then through Weissach heading south-west until I crossed the border at Aach into Austria.
A sign saying nature reserve led me unwisely to drive up a woodland track where I nearly got my car stranded. Time to move on. Next small town/village was Krumbach and then a nicer small town called Hittisau (which doesn’t sound Germanic
?). I stopped here and found a hotel bar for a half of Austrian Mohren bräu bier (even better than the German ) and a view of my photos. Afterwards a stroll around a small supermarket (both German and Austrian food prices slightly cheaper than in UK) to buy snacks for lunch. A little walk and then back on the road to find that elusive butterfly meadow.I took a side road (past a farm which had geese in a field) that climbed up a small mountain to Sausteig but everywhere I looked there were no places either to pull in or unfenced meadows to explore. The scenery was stunning but the roads grew narrower as I ventured further so in the end I realised I would have to turn and head back to the L5main road. Essentially, my driving had taken me on a huge arc of 180 degrees and I found myself entering Germany again. At a plush hotel in Balderschwang I was told that the best (shortest route) back to Oberstaufen was to go back the way I’d come
. . Species count now 37 (Clouded Yellow).
To be continued.
