Poll: What was the best German rarity in 2018?

2018 ended with a big bang for german birders, when a first cycle Laughing Gull decided to show up right in the centre of Germany's second biggest city, Hamburg on December 21st. It was only the 9th record for the country and the first one in eleven years! Many twitchers managed to lay their eyes on it on the first two days, but on Dec 23rd it was already gone.

It was definitely one of the rarest birds in Germany during 2018, but do you think it might've been the BEST? I'd love to get your opinion. Which was your personal highlight of 2018, the most remarkable vagrant to show up?

2018 was good, but not a great year in terms of rare birds. Many birds allowed for much better views than in other years (e.g. Dusky & Radde's Warbler, Black-capped Bunting), but MEGAs were scarce in 2018. With Italian Sparrow and Swinhoe's Storm Petrel, only two species turned up, that were never recorded in Germany before. However, both species pose great identification problems and will thus need to be assessed by the German rarities commitee. The two most remarkable influxes of 2018 concerned Parrot Crossbills and Rosy Starlings.

Ensuing, I will list some of the rarest birds that turned up in Germany. I only included birds that  somehow stood out in 2018 compared to previous years. The list will therefore only include real vagrants, that don't show up in Germany in small numbers every year (as do e.g. Glossy Ibis or Olive-backed Pipit). Also excluded are rare (but not super-rare species), if they couldn't be twitched (e.g. Collared Pratincole), were seen only by a single observer (e.g. King Eider) or if there was no accompanying evidence, such as pictures or sound (e.g. Lesser Yellowlegs).

What was the best vagrant to Germany in 2018?

Black Scoter / Amerikanische Trauerente

Black-browed Albatross / Schwarzbrauenalbatros

Swinhoe's Storm Petrel / Swinhoewellenläufer

Cory's Shearwater / Gelbschnabel-Sturmtaucher

Black-winged Kite / Gleitaar

American Golden Plover / Amerik. Goldregenpfeifer

Laughing Gull / Aztekenmöwe

Franklin's Gull / Präriemöwe

Pallid Swift / Fahlsegler

Asian Desert Warbler / Wüstengrasmücke

Isabelline Wheatear / Isabellsteinschmätzer

White's Thrush / Erddrossel

Rosy Starling / Rosenstar

Pine Bunting / Fichtenammer

Cretzschmar's Bunting / Grauortolan

Black-headed Bunting / Kappenammer

Parrot Crossbill / Kiefernkreuzschnabel

Italian Sparrow / Italiensperling

 

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Black Scoter (Melanitta americana)

With only one previous accepted record of this nearctic species (13.-17.02.2008, St. Peter-Ording/Schleswig-Holstein, adult male) and several misidentifications in the past, this was definitely one of the rarest birds to be found this year. Earlier records (e.g. 11.03.2006, 31.12.2007) might have been correct but were deemed unsufficiently documented. Thus, everybody must've been happy how this year's bird showed so well to many dozens, if not hundreds of twitchers for a prolonged time period (03.02.-08.04.2018) and even returned the next winter (from 04.12. onwards), so that anybody who might have missed it is now getting another chance. How considerate!

Great comparison of Black (left) and Common Scoters (right) at Schöneberger Strand © Henning Fedders

Black-browed Albatross (Thalassarche melanophris)

The returning bird, which brought ecstasy to the birders who managed to connect with it when it first showed up in 2014, returned for its 4th consecutive season to German waters. While the initial ecstasy has now rather turned into a general enjoyment of this stunning, graceful bird, this albatross must still be considered one of the absolute highlights of any birding years. This year it could be observed 31.03.-25.07.2018 on an almost daily basis, except for a short period in late May/early June, after an unpleasant crash in a local aviary. Lacking a partner in the northern hemisphere, it searches the vicinity of other big birds, such as Gannets, Mute Swans, Greylag Geese and a Red-crowned Crane Crane (see below). A tragic figure that will nevertheless hopefully continue to please birders from near and far for many more years! And who knows, maybe he (or she?) will bring a partner one day?!

The Black-browed Albatross is an extremely beautiful bird and was already feared dead when it wasn't seen for two weeks, after this short encounter with a captive Red-crowned Crane on Sylt. Luckily it returned healthy soon after © Horst Habke

Swinhoe's Storm Petrel (Oceanodroma monorhis)
One of the most surprising finds for Germany in 2018 was the Swinhoe's Storm Petrel that was observed for several minutes after a severe storm from the northwest. A few lucky observers on Wangerooge couldn't believe what they were seeing during a Leach's Storm Petrel influx on 03.10.2018. The observers are very confident, there was absolutely no white on the rump and the ID has since been confirmed by an independent expert. There's another convincing old record from 24.09.2004, that is still pending. Will Swinhoe's Storm Petrel finally be added to the German list?

One of the videograbs showing the dark-rumped Storm Petrel that was observed during a seawatch on Wangerooge © Christopher König

Cory's Shearwater (Calonectris diomedea)

At first glance, this species might seem a little odd in this compilation, given how it gets reported on a yearly basis in German waters and how mediocre most observations are. However, there are still only few accepted birds (20 records 1977-2016, less than 10 before) and the last accepted one is from 2012! Given how many birders managed to connect with this bird on 25.10.2018 on Heligoland it deserves a spot on this list, even though admittedly it's chances of winning are very slim.

Black-winged Kite (Elanus caeruleus)

No doubt, this is an extremely charismatic species, however it's not particularly rare anymore and becoming more and more regular each year. There were only 16 accepted (+2 cat. D) records until 2014, but in subsequent years 6 (2015), 10 (2016) and 9 (2017) records followed. 2018 wasn't any different with another 6 birds on record. Remarkable was especially the record of an adult male which started to build a nest. To the enjoyment of hundreds of twitchers it stayed for many months in the same place. Will we soon get a new breeding species in Germany?

The piercing look of the Black-winged Kite in Stemwede, which even build a nest during its stay © Stefan Pfützke

American Golden Plover (Pluvialis dominica)

Only 10 previous records existed for this beautiful, but hard to identify species so far, but 2018 saw another 2 records. Especially noteworthy was the bird from Katinger Watt, Schleswig-Holstein (28.-31.05.2018) in breeding plumage, that was successfully twitched by dozens of birders. With increasing knowledge about the identification, hopefully more records will follow in future years!

Seeing this species in breeding plumage is always a treat © Paul Ehlers

Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla)

There are already 9 previous records of Laughing Gulls in Germany, with one bird even staying and returning for 3 summers. However, all these records stem from between 1997 and 2007 and anybody who got into birding or twitching later didn't get a chance to see this species in Germany until  21.12.2018, when a first cycle bird turned up in the city centre of Hamburg and showed beautifully to the twitchers that came the following day. While the bird itself might not have been the most beautiful one (wait till it gets older!), the observations that it allowed for were remarkable!

This immature Laughing Gull chose to visit the harbour and christmas market of Hamburg © Paul Ehlers

Franklin's Gull (Leucophaeus pipixcan)

Another American gull that turned up in Germany this year (27.-28.07.2018 in Bonn), even a tiny bit rarer than the Laughing Gull with only 8 accepted records to date, furthermore it was a beautiful adult. However, it wasn't quite as friendly to the twitchers who didn't arrive on the day of discovery, as it flew away very early in the morning, never to be seen again. But isn't it a beauty?

This adult Franklin's Gull could be twitched in Bonn on July 27th, but disappeared very early in the morning on July 28th never to be found again © Oliver Käseberg

Pallid Swift (Apus pallidus)

Many northern and central european countries reported an influx of Pallid Swifts during the autumn of 2018 with e.g. 8 reports from the Netherlands, 6 from Sweden and as many as 23 from the UK! Most German birders kept watching the skies, but in vain (several unidentified Swifts!), except for the lucky few who got lucky on Heligoland (13. & 15.11.2018) and some twitchers on Amrum, who'd originally set out for a disappearing Rustic Bunting, but returned home with stunning pictures of a Pallid Swift instead (31.10.2018)!

This Pallid Swift must've been a great compensation after dipping on a Rustic Bunting on Amrum © Eike Schulze

Asian Desert Warbler (Sylvia nana)

Even though this tiny bird, which could be observed 19.-27.10.2018 on Heligoland, might be described as drab on the first look, it seems likely to be one of the contenders for the title BIRD OF THE YEAR 2018. This comes from a combination of subtle beauty, accentuated by the piercing yellow eye, its rarity (only 3 previous records: 21.06.-07.07.1981, Bottsand near Kiel (male building nest); 24.-27.05.2002, Heligoland; 20.10.-02.11.2017, Heligoland), its inquisitiveness and some kind of mystery (could it have been the same bird as last year?). 

Could this have been the same bird as in the previous autumn? © Helmut Bähr

Like last year's bird this bird was absolutely fearless © Tobias Rautenberg

Isabelline Wheatear (Oenanthe isabellina)

This bird must likely be described as an underdog. It showed beautifully only on 03.11.2018 on Heligoland and would've been an absolute Mega until very recently (first record 14.-17.10.1999), but has now become more regular in the last years. Still, there were only 11 previous records in Germany  and even though the species isn't very colourful, its pastel colours give it a subtle beauty and elegance. Plus, it's one of those enjoyable ID challenges: While initially it can be pretty hard to clinch the ID, once you've observed it long and close enough you'll go home confident and happy about your find!

Would you have noticed this rarity in the field? © Jens Voß

White's Thrush (Zoothera aurea)

This beauty will always be a crowd-favourite. Only few people got to lay their eyes on the bird that was caught and ringed on 26.04.2018 on Heligoland, but isn't this what adds to the fascination of White's Thrush? Its elegancy combined with the mystique surrounding this shy species makes it a dream bird for any birder, add to that its rarity in recent years (only 8 records since 1977, ca. two dozens before that, the last accepted one from 2013) and you've got the perfect contender for BIRD OF THE YEAR 2018. If only it had stayed a little longer...

White's Thrushes are very skulky birds, catching one of them as a vagrant must have given a great adrenaline rush to the ringers © Jochen Dierschke

Rosy Starling (Pastor roseus)

Normally Rosy Starlings wouldn't be considered for this compilation, as they turn up annually in small numbers, mostly as juveniles, which additionally aren't very good looking birds. However, this year southern Europe saw a huge influx of Rosy Starlings in late May and early June, with many thousand smart-looking adults turning up as far west as Italy and hundreds still reaching Spain. German birders were also hoping to get their piece of the cake and even though the numbers weren't nearly as high as south of the Alps the year 2018 still was exceptional with about 30 records, of which around 20 turned up during the influx, mainly in southernmost Germany or on Heligoland or the coast. Even if the Rosy Starlings of 2018 don't receive the title of BIRD OF THE YEAR 2018, their influx certainly has to have been the birding event of the year in Europe!

Even though not nearly as many Rosy Starlings turned up in Germany as in southern Europe, their number was still way above average and they made dozens of birders very happy in 2018 ©Winfried Scharlau

Pine Bunting (Emberiza leucocephalos)

There are about 21 previous records of Pine Buntings in Germany, nevertheless it was a notoriously hard bird to connect with, with past individuals often quickly disappearing or hiding very well in the vegetation, at least until 2018. However, a bird in Römerstein, Baden-Württemberg that stayed from 24.01.-21.02.2018 deviated from its predecessors and beautifully showed to dozens of happy twitchers, who often still got the feeling of a hard-earned bird, as the bird would prove a challenge to find in the landscape and to safely identify. If you saw that bird, then you really earned it!

This Pine Bunting was a real challenge to many birders, both in terms of finding and identfying it © Oliver Käseberg

Cretzschmar's Bunting (Emberiza caesia)

Another favourite for the title BIRD OF THE YEAR 2018 has to be the beautiful Cretzschmar's Bunting that filled hundreds of birders' and photographers' hearts with glee from 30.4.-03.05.2018 at Speicherbecken Geeste after it had been posted online identified as a regular Ortolan Bunting. Luckily some eagle-eyed birders immediately noticed the misidentification and in the following days they, and many more, got to enjoy close-up views of the second Cretzschmar's Bunting to appear in Germany since the 19th century (11 previous records between 1848 and 1879 all from Heligoland, plus one bird on 09.05.2016 on Sylt)!

Hundreds of twitchers managed to connect with this bird, which posed nicely © Paul Ehlers

Black-headed Bunting (Emberiza melanocephala)

The information about past occurrences of Black-headed Buntings is very vague, as birds were often considered as escapees in the past and females and juveniles still are impossible to identify safely. It's therefore a fairly recent realization that they are near-annual natural vagrants to Germany. Nevertheless, the species was a blocker, missing from most twitchers lists until last year, when - unforeseen - a pair bred successfully in southern Germany. Birds in the past only rarely stayed for longer than a day, so that twitches were normally unsuccessful. Though the breeding birds of 2017 allowed for the species to find its way onto the list of many twitchers, the 2018 birds were still special on their own. Three males turned up on Heligoland (31.05.2018; 01.-04.06.2018; 26.06.2018), one in the Königshovener Höhe (30.05.2018) in Nordrhine-Westphalia. Adding to their smart looks came the cooperativeness of the first two birds on Heligoland, which made for great photo motives, even for twitchers!

This Black-capped Bunting must've been one of the most cooperative ones to ever show up in Germany © Oliver Käseberg

Parrot Crossbill (Loxia pytyopsittacus)

Does anyone still remember the hype when the first Parrot Crossbills started to turn up on Heligoland during the autumn of 2013?! The species a huge blocker before that and only very few people had this species on their list, even though many dozens of records had been accepted. After the influx during the winter 2013/14 another influx happened in the winter of 2017/18. Hundreds of birds must have reached Germany during that winter and in the aftermath several breeding attempts, at least one of them successful, could be recorded. It therefore feels like this species must also be mentioned here!

Hundreds of Parrot Crossbills must've reached Germany in the winter of 2017/18 © Gerd Rotzoll

For the first time ever was a successful breeding of the species recorded in Germany. Seven pairs were present, at least 3 raised juveniles © Arne Torkler

Italian Sparrow (Passer italiae)

While it's DNA is still being tested, this bird is likely to become the only addition to the German list from 2018. The bird showed beautifully in early June in a private garden, but unfortunately only very few birders got a chance to observe it, due to difficulties to arrange public access to the site. Nevertheless, this record bears a certain amount of suspense with it: Was this bird the "real deal"? Did it come all the way to northern Germany on its own? What else is lurking out there in private gardens? 

The only new bird for the German list during 2018. At least if it gets accepted © Armin Kreusel

Very rare mammals in Germany - Part I. Mainland mammals and bats

In late September 2015 a Sowerby's Beaked Whale was found in the German Baltic Sea, showing very nicely, keeping close to the shore and often leaping out of the water. When German birders heard of it, some decided to twitch this animal. Surely, if there had been some kind of mammal rankings - as they exist by the hundreds for birds - this species had to be an absolute blocker, even for world listers. Very few people have ever laid eyes on one of these enigmatic and rare creatures. Even Jon Hall, who has seen several thousand species of mammals and can be called the father of something called "mammalwatching", a movement quite similar to birding, hasn't seen this species yet during his hundreds of trips.

Less than a year later the German Club300 published the first complete lists of mammal species in Germany and in the Western Palaearctic. The interest in these lists and the associated rankings was big. Many discussions arose, but it was obvious that the normally so well informed birding community lacked knowledge about rarer mammals. There were questions about taxonomy (is Moufflon a true species?), status (is the population of Eastern Chipmunk self-sustaining?), occurrence (does Northern White-breasted Hedgehog really reach Germany?), etc.
Unfortunately, only few people could join the discussions as knowledge about mammals and their occurrence was very limited and information about them sparse and scattered throughout the internet.

Unlike with birds, there are no rarity committees, there's no big mammal watching community in Germany yet and identification difficulties plus the hidden nature of most species make it unlikely to stumble upon rare mammals by chance.
Nevertheless, it's astonishing to see how many vagrant mammals have already reached Germany, especially given the fact that most mammals travel much shorter distances (if at all) than migratory birds and have more trouble to cross barriers, such as rivers, mountains and seas.

Here, I try to summarize all observations of rare and very rare mammals in Germany. By this, I mean species that do not normally reproduce in or routinely migrate through Germany or its adjacent waters. I have furthermore included species that have only recently gone extinct in Germany and some very range-restricted introduced species. For many species the data will not be complete as information is often outdated, incomplete and hard to find.

The Club300 list currently lists 124 species for Germany, but misses a species (European Bison) and includes two that have possibly not yet been safely recorded in Germany (Northern White-breasted Hedgehog, Monticelli's Myotis).

I hope to spark some debate in the scientific and mammalwatching communities in Europe, that could help with digging up further information on rare mammals in Germany and elsewhere. I encourage everybody to do the same for other countries and thus further help the understanding and knowledge we have of these species today. I will update this post whenever I receive new information.

Red-necked Wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus)

Category E - introduced
Several Wallabies of the tasmanian subspecies rufogriseus were forcefully set free from a petting zoo on March 7th 2001 in Burg Stargard in northeastern Germany. Eventhough 7 of them were successfully returned, one male and two females managed to avoid recapture and have formed a small population of free-roaming kangaroos in Germany. There have been previous introduction attempts with kangaroos being introduced in Hesse between 1850 and 1920 on the Rhine island Kühkopf (and occurring until 1945), in 1887 near Bonn (North Rhine-Westphalia) and in 1889 in Altdöbern (Brandenburg). An individual of the Altdöbern population even reached Saxony in 1896. The animals started to reproduce but were eventually all poached or shot by hunters who thought they didn't belong in this environment. Wild populations of Wallabies in France and the UK show that they can survive in our latitudes. Occasional escapees are reported throughout the country, e.g. in Baden-Württemberg, Lower-Saxony, Saarland, Saxony, Thuringia, etc.


European Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus citellus)
Category A - extinct in Germany, currently being reintroduced
The northernmost population of European Ground Squirrels in the world lived in the eastern Erz Mountains in Saxony. Unfortunately it went extinct due to changes in agriculture between the 1960s and 80s.
Since 2006 a project tries to reintroduce Ground Squirrels near Geising, however this project is still far away from succeeding.

Siberian Chipmunk (Tamias sibiricus)

Siberian Chipmunk in Aschaffenburg (Bavaria, 2016)  
© Martin Gottschling

Category C - introduced

Several small populations existed in many places, e.g. in Freiburg/Breisgau (1969-2005), Ingolstadt (1990s), Wuppertal (1990s-2000s), Münster (1970s-late 80s), Essen (1965-present), Remagen (2000s-present) and Aschaffenburg (1990s-present). Some of these existed for many years and the animals were quite numerous (e.g. around 200 animals on the Lauheide graveyard near Münster), all but the one in Aschaffenburg (Park Schöntal) and in Remagen (Wildpark Rolandseck) have now perhaps disappeared. The population in Aschaffenburg supposedly numbered 70-90 individuals in the mid 2000s but is believed to be declining. Information is very thin, but there are probably also still Chipmunks in Essen (Heissiwald). Occasionally escaped pets are reported throughout Germany, e.g. in Saxony.

Eastern Chipmunk in Wuppertal (North Rhine-Westphalia,
2016)  © Martin Gottschling

Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus)

Category E - introduced

On June 17th 1963 eight Eastern Chipmunks were released into the zoo of Wuppertal and their ancestors roam freely ever since. Eventhough enough years have passed for this species to be included in category C, the Chipmunks still rely on visitors feeding them nuts and the protection against predators (such as cats) from the zoo it might be more sensible to keep this species in category E.

Forest Dormouse (Dryomys nitedula)

Category A - very rare resident - 10 records

This species has only been recorded in the valleys of Isar and Inn in Bavaria in the southernmost regions of Germany. All but one belonged to the subspecies intermedius.

• 1955, county Freyung-Grafenau (ssp. carpathicus)
• 4x 1968 and older, twice county Rosenheim, once Bad-Tölz,-Wolfratshausen once Berchtesgardener Land
• 3x 1985/1986, Inn valley near Oberaudorf and Nußdorf (Rosenheim): found in nesting boxes
• 1993, north of Eibsee (Garmisch-Partenkirchen): found dead on street
• 2010, Brannenburg (Rosenheim): Female with youngsters in nesting box

Bavarian Pine Vole in Brandenberger Alpen
(Tirol/Austria, 2017)  © factcatdog

Bavarian Pine Vole (Microtus bavaricus)

Category A - extinct in Germany - last and only record 1962

This species was only discovered and described in 1962, when 23 animals were caught in mousetraps near Garmisch-Partenkirchen. After this, the species could never be refound in Germany and the original discovery site has been covered by a hospital. The only remaining population that has been found of this species lies in Tirol/Austria, but is under severe threat of extinction due to changes in the agricultural use. The search for further populations continues.

Northern White-breasted (Eastern) Hedgehog (Erinaceus roumanicus)

Possibly not yet recorded in Germany, maybe category B

This species is listed on the Club300 species list, due to the IUCN map showing an occurrence of this species in easternmost Germany. However, I believe this map is not entirely exact. In the german red list (2009) the following is stated (translated):

"The species currently does not occur in Germany. If the species has ever occurred in Germany remains questionable. Possibly, the existing records belong to displaced or imported and not to autochthonous individuals." 

In the mammal atlas of Saxony the following can be found:

"Due to a publication by HERTER (1934) it was long assumed that the entire eastern German border region was being inhabitated by E. roumanicus. Only for Brandenburg (Oderbruch, Hasenfelde near Lebus, and Berlin) could a revision of material in scientific collections confirm a presence (ANSORGE 1987b). All specimens originate from earlier than 1945, and at least for the record from Berlin a human-induced displacement is assumed."

In the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern red list old records from Usedom are mentioned.

Due to these uncertainties, I would currently suggest to delete this species from the German list. The possibility of this species occurring in Germany is however definitely existing, given how extremely close it occurs to the German border in Austria, the Czech Republic and Poland (in some places less than 15km).

European Free-tailed Bat (Tadarida teniotis)

Free-tailed Bat found in Kumhausen (Bavaria, 2014)   
© Christian Winkler

Category A - Very rare vagrant - at least 2 records

Two definitive records could be found from southern Germany, but indications for another male, also from Landshut, being rehabbed, and a record from Stuttgart (Dietz & Kiefer 2014) were found.

• August 2007, Seewiesen (Starnberg), male
• 29.11.2014, Kumhausen (Landshut), female

Giant Noctule (Nyctalus lasiopterus)

Category A - Very rare vagrant - 2 records

The Giant Noctule has only be recorded twice in Germany. Other claims have been shown to refer to other species (Dietz & Kiefer 2014).

• 19. Jhd. Kloster Banz (Lichtenfels)
• 05.10.2001 Tegernsee (Miesbach)

Savi's Pipistrelle (Hypsugo savii)

Category A - rare visitor to Germany - over 11 records

This species was possibly once widespread in the Bavarian Forest, but went extinct in 1951. Luckily, records of Savi's Pipistrelle are becoming more frequent in recent years and several acoustic records leave hope that this species might be on the return to Germany. Most animals far north of the normal range are believed to have travelled as stow away with cargo. Vagrants or human-assisted bats have been reported e.g. from Scotland, London and Jersey. With recent developments it seems likely that Germany could soon be recolonized.

• 1947, Franconian Switzerland, skull fragment
• 1951, Mittenwald (Garmisch-Partenkirchen),  colony with 10 individuals
• 1991, Hamburg (Hansestadt Hamburg), found in building, first identified as Northern Bat (Eptesicus nilssonii), but this was corrected based on measurements
• 29.07.1999, Neustadt (Ostholstein), juvenile male found in vegetable delivery
• 2004, Estenfeld (Würzburg), found injured on wall
• 14.09.2006, near Domnitz (Saalekreis), found dead under wind turbine
• 2007, Ottobrunn (München), single individual found
• 25.01.2008, Dortmund (Dortmund), male caught unable to fly, had to be euthanized
• 2008, Wuppertal (Wuppertal), acoustic record
• 2011, Rosenheim (Rosenheim), single individual found
• 2017, München (München), single individual found
• May 2018, around Traunstein (Traunstein), observation
• Several accoustic records from southeastern Bavaria (e.g. Chiemsee, Inn)

Monticelli's Myotis (Myotis oxygnathus)

Not yet safely recorded from Germany - Possibly category A

An animal caught in Entringen (Tübingen) showed measurements that lie within the overlap region with Greater Mouse-eared Bat (Myotis myotis). Genetics apparently don't help with identification, so that this record can't be safely assigned to Monticelli's Myotis, even though general impression of size and structure strongly points towards this identification. Another claim from Hochstädt/Aisch (Erlangen-Höchstädt) from 1994 needs to be investigated further, but possibly refers to another species (e.g. Lesser Horseshoe Bat?).

Schreiber's Long-fingered Bat in Kiel (2012)  
© Karl Kugelschreiber

Schreiber's Long-fingered Bat (Miniopterus schreibersii)

Category A - Extinct in Germany, very rare vagrant - 3 records since extinction

This species might have once been part of the German fauna but apart from a nursery roost in 1890 and a colony that existed from at least 1951 to 1960 nothing was found. While numbers of up to 500 individuals were counted in the first two years in Sasbach, the colony began to shrink in following years and eventually the species went extinct in Germany.

• 1890, Breisach am Rhein (Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald), nursery roost in cellar 
• 1951-1960, Sasbach am Kaiserstuhl (Ortenaukreis), colony, where 500 Long-fingered Bats were ringed, some ringing recoveries from and in France, on ein Badenweiler (Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald)
• 04.-14.01.58, Freiburg (Freiburg im Breisgau), ringed in France, found alive on 04.01., dead on 14.01.
• 22.04.1954 Neu-Isenburg (Offenbach), found dead, ringing recovery from Sasbach, now believed to have been an erroneous reading
• Mid-1980s, Taubergießen (Ortenaukreis), found as road kill
• 1996, Tübingen (Tübingen), single individual foundin nursery roost of Mouse-eared Bats, rehabbed and released in Switzerland
• 23.05.2011, Ettenheim (Ortenaukreis), single individual foundin nursery roost of Mouse-eared Bats
• 11.09.2012, Kiel (Kiel), flew through photo trap

Golden Jackal (Canis aureus)

Category A - Rare vagrant - at least 12 records

This species lives in southeastern Europe and was recorded for the first time in Germany in the late 90s. Since then several more jackals have been recorded through very different techniques. Jackals seem to stray very far on occasion as is shown by recent observations in the Baltic countries, Poland, Denmark or in the Netherlands. The current records are concentrated in eastern Germany, where it seems possible that Jackals might become resident.

• 26.03.1995, near Otterwisch (Muldentalkreis), observed by hunter (observation considered
  unconfirmed, but seems plausible)
• 1996-1998, 33km northwest of Cottbus (Lausitz), shot by hunter, adult male
• 2000, Lausitz, found in freezer of taxidermist in 2003
• 2004, 35km north of Cottbus (Lausitz), observed twice
• 26.04.2012, Neuschönau (Freyung-Grafenau), photographed by trail camera
• Winter 13/14, near Anklam (Vorpommern-Greifswald), shot by hunter
• Autumn 2014, near Stolpe (Vorpommern-Greifswald), roadkill 
• 13.08.2015, Schlitz (Vogelsbergkreis), photographed by hunter
• October 2015, county Cuxhaven, feces found (DNA tested)
• Early April 2016, Greifswald (Vorpommern-Greifswald), photographed by trail camera
• 03.2017, St. Annen (Dithmarschen), DNA found after attack on sheep
• 17.05.2017, near Ampertal (Freising), roadkill

The track of Bruno/JJ1 along the German-Austrian border.
© Stefan-Xp

Brown Bear (Ursus arctos)

Category A - Extinct in Germany, very rare vagrant - 1 modern-time record

Bears used to roam through most of Germany many hundred years ago, but became more and more rare due to enormous hunting pressure. The last one was supposedly shot 1835 in southern Bavaria (Ruhpolding). In 2006 a bear from northern Italy was finally observed for two months along the Bavarian-Austrian border, the first one in Germany since 170 years. It's official name was JJ1, but it was dubbed "Bruno" by the media, which gave the Bear great coverage. It was born in 2004, from two Slovenian bears, that had been transferred to Italy to save a dwindling population near Adamello-Brenta. Due to the bear sometimes approaching human settlements and occasionally feeding on livestock and propelled by the media, the fear of some humans eventually became so big that it was decided the bear had to be removed. Initially, the shooting of the bear was allowed, but because of a public outcry this permission was withdrawn. The attempt to catch the bear alive went fruitless for three weeks, before the bear was eventually shot after all on 26. June near Spitzingsee

• 20.5.-26.6.2006, wandering along Bavarian-Austrian border, constantly switching sides, 2 years old, from Italy, shot on 26.6.06 near Spitzingsee (Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen, Miesbach, Rosenheim)

European Mink (Mustela lutreola)

Category B - Extinct in Germany, currently being reintroduced - Last record possibly 1925

The European Mink went extinct in most of Europe due to high hunting pressure for its fur, destruction of habitat and competition with the introduced American Mink (Neovison vison). The last Mink in Germany was shot 1925 in the Aller valley in Lower-Saxony. Reintroduction schemes exist near Osnabrück (2000-2009), in Saarland (since 2006) and in Nature Park Steinhuder Meer near Hannover (since 2010). All of these projects have generated at least some reproduction success.

Eurasian Elk in Görlitz (Saxony, 2015) © Steve Klasan

Eurasian Elk (Moose) (Alces alces)

Category A - rare resident in Germany

Elks used to occur throughout Germany hundreds of years ago, but went extinct due to hunting pressure and habitat destruction. Unknown to most, Elks have now returned and have already become regular part of the German mammal fauna. They occur in the easternmost regions of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg and Saxony. Some individuals sometimes stray further west and have been observed in North Rhine-Westfalia, Schleswig-Holstein, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, Hessen and Bavaria.

There have been over 50 recent-time records from Saxony alone, including one mother and her calf in 1994/95. For Mecklenburg-Vorpommern a near constant prensence is assumed, this hypothesis is supported e.g. by 6 Elks that were shot in 1986 near Neubrandenburg alone. In Brandenburg 20 to 50 observations per year are reported, several Elks have become victims of collisions with cars.

Most, if not all (except maybe the calfs in 1994/95 and 2008) of these animals are believed to be immigrants from Poland and the Czech Republic, where numbers are thriving.

European Bison (Bos bonasus)

Category A - Extinct in Germany, very rare vagrant, currently being reintroduced - 1 modern-time record

Germany used to be entirely part of the European Bisons natural range until several centuries ago. However, the species faded away under an enormous hunting pressure. The last free-roaming Bison was shot in 1927 in the Caucasus. When the last one was shot in Germany isn't entirely clear. Fortunately, some Bisons survived in captivity and a reproduction scheme was put in place. The Bison population has since grown to around 3000 free-living animals (all descending from just 12 individuals!). A great part of the population currently lives in Poland, from where a Bison originated, that roamed peacefully through western Poland. On September 13th 2017 it was discovered near Lebus in Brandenburg, apparently just having crossed the River Oder. Here, it was shot by two hunters just two hours after the discovery, after they had insinuated a danger for humans and thus gotten the permission to kill it.

Since 2013 European Bisons are being reintroduced in the Rothaargebirge, where eight animals were initially released. Currently more than 23 European Bisons are roaming freely through Germany. Further Bisons live under almost wild conditions in a 2000 ha enclosure in the Döberitzer Heide near Berlin and in Siegen-Wittgenstein (North Rhine-Westphalia).

• 13.09.2017, near Lebus (Brandenburg), shot two hours after being discovered in Germany, adult male

For more comfortable reading I have split this article into two parts. This part I only deals with mainland mammals and bat. Part II (Marine mammals) will soon be added.

Acknowledgements:
I'd like to thank everyone involved in compiling the above information and those who kindly provided the pictures, in particular Martin Gottschling, Steve Klasan, Karl Kugelschafter, Christian Dietz, Christian Winkler and the Club300.de-team