I've just returned from a few days in western Germany... Let's say not all wildlife trips go according to plan.
Together with a friend I visited the border region between Hessen and Rheinland-Pfalz, specifically the valleys of the Rhine and the Nahe. This region has a rather warm micro climate which allows the vast vineyards and almost Mediterranean vegetation of the region to flourish, and also makes it possible for small relict populations of otherwise far more southerns species to exist. It was mostly reptiles we were after, notably aesculapian snake, dice snake and western green lizard, as well as a number of butterfly and bird species. We knew a few locations where these species should be easy to find, but it was the weather that threw all our plans askew.
Most of our time in Germany it rained - solid rain fizzling out into a drizzle only to take up force again later. And when it didn't rain there was at least heavy cloud cover: I'd be surprised if we saw more than an hour of sun over the entire trip. Finding reptiles, let alone butterflies, in such weather is an enormous struggle and despite our best efforts we only found a handful. Luckily, among them was a gorgeous adult aesculapian snake and a green lizard hidden in a shallow burrow. We did manage to find a few good birds and we had a lot of fun the first evening fooling around with bat detectors. It was, unfortunately, the first major setback for my 100-butterfly goal: there's quite a few species I'm unlikely to see now, most notably Duke of Burgundy.
Most additions are from Germany, though a few (notably merlin) were seen locally in the days before the trip.
Birds
162. Merlin, Falco columbarius
163. Peregrine, Falco peregrinus
164. Lesser Whitethroat, Curruca curruca
165. Cirl Bunting, Emberiza cirlus
166. Rock Bunting, Emberiza cia
167. Common Swift, Apus apus
168. Green Sandpiper, Tringa ochropus
169. Common Cuckoo, Cuculus canorus
170. Common Whitethroat, Curruca communis
171. Black Kite, Milvus migrans
Mammals
12. Common Noctule, Nyctalus noctula
13. Lesser Noctule, Nyctalis leisleri
14. Bechstein's Bat, Myotis bechsteinii
15. Brown Long-eared Bat, Plecotus auritus
16. Daubenton's Bat, Myotis daubentonii
17. Coypu, Myocastor coypus
Reptiles
3. European Slow Worm, Anguis fragilis
4. Aesulapian Snake, Zamenis longissimus
5. Western Green Lizard, Lacerta bilineata
Moths
10. Straw-barred Pearl, Pyrausta despicata
11. Large Longhorn, Nematopogon swammerdamella
12. Latticed Heath, Chiasmia clathrata
13. Winter Moth, Operophtera brumata
14. Mottled Umber, Erannis defoliaria
15. Figure of Eight, Diloba caeruleocephala
Dragonflies
4. Small Bluetail, Ischnura pumilio
Beetles
12. Alder Leaf Beetle, Agelastica alni
13. Varied Carpet Beetle, Anthrenus verbasci
14. Common Glow Worm, Lampyris noctiluca
15. Bloody-nosed Beetle, Timarcha tenebricosa
Gastropods
7. Garden Snail, Cornu aspersum
8. Roman Snail, Helix pomatia
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100-butterflies-tally: 11/100
). And the Coypu of course is an invasive species derived from fur farms - charismatic but they really shouldn't be in the Vltava...
