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| An Alpine (Yellow-billed) Chough glides over the snowy peaks on the border with Tirol, Austria |
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| Common Rosefinch flits amongst the treetops |
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| This was the last trip, tour leading away from home this spring. My last spring tour that I led last week was one that I have been leading for a few years now. It was to the Bavarian Alps in southern Germany, based around the small town of Kochel-am-See. I planned and wrote this particular itinerary years ago for Limosa Holidays, the UK based Birding and Wildlife company and lead tours for them in other worldwide locations. The Bavarian tour has been very successful, particularly with UK clients as it's an area that's not well know in the UK and really is a beautiful corner of Europe. I took this photo at the top of the Zugspitze mountain, Germany's highest peak at 10,000 ft. One of the tour participants, Anne, was taking a photo of the very confiding Alpine Choughs and I snapped this colourful photo of her and the bird... |
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| Meadows are always a good place to explore and Bavaria has plenty to choose from. I liked the view of the two Dandelion heads together. |
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| Up the wooded mountainside from Farchant, close to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, is the waterfall of the Kuhfluchtsgrabens. This powerful water source spews out of the sheer rock-face and tumbles down the gorge. It's a great walk up there and you can see White-throated Dippers and Grey Wagtails nesting. We were particularly fortunate to watch three Golden Eagles soaring across the ridges and valleys |
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| Alpine splendour as some of the group watch Water Pipits displaying high above Garmisch |
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| Descent by cable-car from the Zugspitze summit. The Eibsee (lake) is down below in the left of the photo |
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| High Alpine Vista |
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| Alpine Chough |
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| Banded Demoiselle, male |
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| Red-crested Pochard at the Ammersee |
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| Typical Bavarian 'Onion dome' tower of the church at Diessen on the Ammersee |
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| Black Woodpecker, always a treat to watch |
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| Male Black Woodpecker in flight |
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| Brimstone Butterfly |
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| Common Cuckoo |
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| Common Redpoll at the Wankberg |
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| One of my favourite finches the Common Rosefinch at Murnauer Moos Nature Reserve. This lovely male was singing loudly from the treetops |
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| Common Rosefinch, male |
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| Crested Tit |
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| Alpine trails at Farchant |
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| More woodland birds are plentiful - this one's a Garden Warbler |
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| Great-spotted Woodpecker |
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| Kochel Moos |
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| We had some really lovely walks and as you'd expect, everything is well planned, signposted and cared for |
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| Our base for the eight day tour was at Kochel-am-See |
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| Lizard |
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| Meadow |
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| Long-tailed Tit acrobatics |
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| Female Marsh Harrier |
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| Murnauer Moos Reserve |
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| Pearl-bordered Fritillary |
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| Red Kite |
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| Red-backed Shrike, male |
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| Ring Ouzel |
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| Ring Ouzel |
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| Kochelsee |
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| Skipper sp. |
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| Wood Mouse |
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| A farewell to the Bavarian Alps |
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