Читать книгу Trekking in the Apennines. The Grande Escursione Appenninica онлайн

18 страница из 33

Birds of prey range from small hawks and kestrels through to magnificent red kites and buzzards, and even the odd stately pair of golden eagles on rocky open ground. But the overwhelming majority are the thousands of ‘invisible’ songbirds chirping and whistling overhead as you make your way through the woods; early spring is the best time to see them before the trees regain their foliage. In contrast open hillsides are the perfect place to appreciate the skylarks, their melodious inspirational song sheer delight, though more often than not they will be upset by the presence of intruders and make frantic attempts to distract attention from their ground nests. On a warm summer’s day huge screeching numbers of house martins, swifts and swallows form clouds around high summits, attracted by the insects conveyed upwards by air currents; they are also commonly seen in villages, as they swoop below eaves and clay-straw nests sheltering their ever-hungry youngsters.

On sunny terrain, especially in the proximity of abandoned shepherds’ huts and farmland, snakes may be seen preying on small rodents or lizards. The grey-brown smooth snake, green snake and a fast-moving coal-black type are harmless, though the common viper or adder, light grey with diamond markings, can be dangerous if not given time to slither away to safety. Remember that it will only usually attack if it feels threatened. While not especially numerous, the viper should be taken seriously as a bite can be life-threatening. In the unlikely event that a walker is bitten by a viper (vipera in Italian), immobilise the limb with broad bandaging and get medical help as fast as possible – call 118.