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Red squirrels can often be seen scampering among larch, fir and pinewoods, their almost black coat and tufted ears being recognisable features. Conifer woods are also home to the nutcracker whose alarm cry of ‘kre kre kre’ makes it a rival to the jay as the policeman of the woods. It has a large head, strong beak, tawny speckled breast and a distinctive swooping flight, and is noted for breaking open pine cones in order to free the fatty seeds which it hides to feed on in winter.

The alpine chough is one of the commonest birds likely to be met in the Swiss Alps. The unmistakable yellow beak and coral-red feet mark it out from other members of the crow family, and they will often appear to scavenge leftovers of picnic food, perch on rocky summits and gather near mountain huts.

Practically all these creatures, and many more, can be seen in their natural habitats in the Swiss National Park in the Lower Engadine (see 4:5).

Environmental Ethics

Mountains are the ultimate symbols of wild nature, and mountaineering in its many forms both recognises and celebrates that wildness. But the growth of tourism and the sheer volume of walkers, climbers and skiers who flock to the Alps in summer and winter alike threaten to reduce and destroy the very wildness that is its primary attraction. Mountains are not eternal and unchanging; they’re fragile, with ecosystems endangered by pollution, climate change and overuse. We who love the Alps are a major part of the problem.