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Edelweiss (photo: Christine Gordon)

Wildlife

A wide variety of birds, mammals, reptiles and insects are found along the Adlerweg. Many of these, including foxes, red squirrels, hares and roe deer, can be found in Britain, but there are three mammals that particularly epitomise the high alpine environment.

Grassy higher slopes with rocky outcrops are marmot country. These large rodents are instantly recognisable by the piercing ‘wolf-whistle’ warning calls of the adult males. Living as family groups in burrows 3m deep, they eat plant greenery, growing to a maximum weight of 6kg by late September. They hibernate beneath the snows, living off their body fat, until they re-emerge much slimmed down in April. Marmots are found at many places along the route, and sightings are guaranteed.

The second most likely high mountain mammal to be seen is the chamois (gams). These timid, skittish creatures of the antelope family inhabit barely accessible high slopes where they move with amazing sure-footedness. They are often heard before they are seen, as they run across the slopes generating a rocky clatter from falling scree. Fully grown they reach just 75cm in height and have short straightish horns that hook backwards towards the tip. They live in groups of up to thirty individuals, mostly females and juveniles, with older males living a solitary life.