Читать книгу The GR5 Trail - Vosges and Jura. Schirmeck to Lac Léman, and the GR53 онлайн

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Wildlife

The wide variety of habitats in the Vosges and Jura supports a wealth of wildlife. Although largely wooded, the region also has open highlands, gorges, river flood plains, lakes and wetlands, giving scope for many different plants and animals to thrive.

In the fields and vineyards at the edge of the plain, storks, the emblem of Alsace and once a common sight, had become alarmingly scarce, but now, thanks to captive-breeding programmes and other conservation efforts, the decline has been reversed. There is a good chance of seeing these elegant birds close to the GR5, particularly in the region of Ribeauvillé (Sections 4 and 5).

Storks on an Alsace rooftop

Rising into the hills, the extensive woodland cover provides shelter throughout for wild boar, with especially high numbers in the undisturbed corners of the Northern Vosges. Often the only sign that boar are nearby is the sound of something large but unseen crashing headlong through the undergrowth. Roe and red deer are to be found in the woods, but they slip away without creating such a commotion. The trees also provide shelter for red squirrel, often a much darker form than found in the UK. Dormice, beech marten, pine marten and wild cat are all present, but you need to be lucky to see them. The same goes for lynx, which were reintroduced into parts of Switzerland and spread to France from there, but numbers are low.