19th July 2018
It was 6:30 in the morning, and I departed school on a coach, heading for the Upper Middle Rhine Valley, more commonly known as the Rhineland, in Germany. I was going to perform with the school orchestra in various towns across the River Rhine, but at the same time, I was on the lookout for some stunning wildlife, which the area is home to. On the way, I saw many Red Kites, Kestrels and a Sparrowhawk, and eventually took about eight hours to get to Kaub, where I was staying, which was filled with the song of Tree Sparrows, and Swallows and House Martins darting across the Rhine.
20th July 2018
In the morning, I was allowed quite a lot of free time, so I decided to scan the river for wildfowl. Despite the river being a major trade route, used by many boats, trains and even cable cars, wildlife has managed to coexist with humans on the river:
A distant flock of Greylag Geese
A shoal of Allis Shad
Greylag Geese near a castle in the middle of the river
Female House Sparrow
Swallows on a wire above train tracks
Swallows
Black Headed Gull in flight over the Rhine
After around half an hour of free time, I went on a river cruise, going from Kaub to St Goar, a historical village up the river. Just when the ship had left, two huge birds with extremely long necks sailed past- my first Cranes! (no photo though!)
Black Kite
Mixed flock of gulls
Probably the most beautiful church I've ever seen- the Church of Our Lady, Oberwesel
Egyptian Geese
Greylag Geese and Grey Herons on the banks of the river
Grey Herons and Cormorants
Cormorants
After walking around St Goar for about an hour, I travelled to Bad Bertrich, my first concert venue. 'Bad' doesn't mean the town has done wrong, but it's the equivalent of a 'Spa' in Britain, e.g. Leamington Spa. There was a small audience of 20-30 people, and I tried not to get distracted by a Long-tailed Tit nest above the bandstand! It was so windy, that the music instead of the audience was blown away (sorry for the bad pun).
21st July 2018
In the afternoon, I visited Koblenz, a city an hour up the river from Kaub. It is home to memorials symbolising the two reunifications of Germany, and one of them, the Deutsches Eck, which also marks the confluence of the Moselle and the Rhine. After exploring that area of the city, I took a ride on the cable car, connecting Koblenz to the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress (yes, it's a mouthful), an ancient Prussian fortress. I stood at the viewpoint, in the hopes of seeing some visible migration, but all I saw were a few Woodpigeons!
Mute Swan
Deutsches Eck, between the Moselle and the Rhine
In the evening, I performed at the ancient Florinskirche, a cream-coloured church with two massive steeples. there was an audience of about 100 people, and was, in my opinion, the best of the three concerts.
22nd July 2018
I woke up early for a 7km run between Kaub and another village called Lorch, and saw many Red Adrmirals, hundreds of Greylag Geese and a few Tree Sparrows. After breakfast, I visited the ancient to of Rudesheim, down the river. The town is home to many ancient, historical churches, something you'd expect from a typical Rhineland village. The town square had many Swifts overhead, which were hard to get a shot of.
Female Blackbird
My attempt of a Swift
Collared Dove
Female Blackbird
Female Blackbird
After Rudesheim, I performed my last concert, at another Spa called Bad Munster, which had a huge park and bandstand, with and audience of about 150 people. This trip has been one of the best I have been on, and not just for its amazing wildlife, but its historic atmosphere, and overall, getting to play to people in another country.
