Switzerland Birding (1 Viewer)

Hi. I am going to be based in Interlaken, Switzerland during August on a family holiday but hope to combine this with some birding whilst we are out and about. I am aware of the Schilthorn top and its Lammergier, Alpine Chough, Alpine Accentor and Snowfinch, but I am looking for any other sites. 'Where to Watch Birds in Switzerland' offers no help at all.

Other target birds are;
Rock Bunting
Alpine Swift
Nutcracker
Three Toed Woodpecker
Black Woodpecker
Citril finch
Wallcreeper
Rock Partridge
Pygmy and Tengmalms Owl
Eagle Owl (?)
Sops Owl (?)
Hazel Grouse

I am planning to go up Niederhorn but am open to suggestions.

Thanks

David

Hi there and a warm welcome to you from the entire staff here at BirdForum :t:

I'm going to move your thread to the Switzerland section of the Forum as you are likely to get more feedback there. I've also subscribed you to this thread so you won't lose track of it and you will get email notifications when someone responds.

Hi David and a warm welcome from me too.

I'm sure you will enjoy it here and I hope to hear about all the birds you see when out and about. I've done a little search of our Opus articles and this one on Niederhorn may be of interest to you. One of our Swiss members will likely see your post over the next few days.

Thanks

Thanks for the welcome. And for passing my thread on to the right place.

Hi David,

Nutcracker and Citril Finch should be easy on Niederhorn. Scops Owl is a very rare breeder in southern Switzerland and you won't find any in the Bernese Oberland. Hazel Grouse, Pygmy Owl, Tengmalm's Owl and Three-toed Woodpecker are all around in the forests below Niederhorn, however August is one of the worst months to find them. Alpine Swifts can be seen in the alps, however your chances are much better in Bern where many Alpine Swifts breed. A good place is the railway station and its surroundings.
I don't now about Eagle Owls in the Bernese Oberland, their breeding cliffs are not made public.
Black Woodpecker is possibly in any forest and not rare. Listen out for their typical calls.
Wallcreeper has been reported at Schilthorn, in the quarry below Balmholz (base of Niederhorn) and at Reichenbachfalls (of Sherlock Holmes fame) in the last 20 days.
I haven't seen any recent records of Rock Bunting in the Bernese Oberland, however I have seen them in Simmental. They are very easy in the Valais (a short train ride away, see here: http://www.birdforum.net/opus/Leukerfeld, also a good spot for Wallcreeper btw).
Records of Rock Partridge are not made public on www.ornitho.ch, try to access southern slopes with rocks from about 1500 to 2200m. Again, very difficult to find in August unfortunately.

André

Alpine Swift is also easy in Lucerne. If you are passing through Lucerne, get off the train and walk outside the station and along the river to the Kapellbrücke (Chapel bridge) an old looking covered bridge. Alpine Swift breed in considerable numbers in the tower (Wasserturm) attached to the bridge. About a three minute walk from the station. The swifts have been back about two weeks and saw about 40 hawking for insects over the area while at work today.

Another excellent spot for Rock Bunting, Blue Rock Thrush and Alpine Accentor is around the cliffs at Sex de Gru near the village of Chamoson in Valais. Lammergeier also in area and Wallcreeper must be a possibility although I'm not certain of that. The site is a bit further away from Interlaken than the Leuk area

Thank you chaps. It might be possible that we would be in Lucerne but we will be travelling back home through Bern by train, and we have 1.5 hours there changing trains around 8 and 9 in the morning so if I have dipped on Alpine Swift I might pick them up there.

I would love to get down to Valais but not sure whether it will be possible. Niederhorn is likely however. I plan to take the funicular and cable car up and then walk up to the top from Niederhorn. What is not clear is whether I am better to follow the trail north and then down the western slopes back to the cable car station at Niederhorn or whether I should zigzag down the eastern facing slopes to the top funicular station. Any advice is welcome.

Can Lammergier, Alpine Accentor and Snowfinch all be seen from the viewing platforms at the top of Schilthorn? Or do I need to go anywhere? I have read that Lammergier are often seen around midday. Is that correct and can the other birds be seen around that time too?

I know Wallcreeper are difficult but is there a 'better' time to try? Is the quarry at Balmholz accessible for the public? We are likely to visit Reichenbachfalls so that is good news. The problem with schilthorn is that there is just such a vast area to look for them. I do hope to do some walking around Murren so maybe I'll just have to keep a general lookout for them there.

With Citril Finch there does not seem to be a clearly defined tree line but instead a thinning of trees over a wider area - is this the best place to look?

Thanks again for your time and advice it is greatly appreciated? We are camping at the Interlaken end of lake Thun so maybe some early morning walks near there may be productive.

David

Can't help with the Berner Oberland I'm afraid but if you visit Lucerne I'll show you the swift nest site if I'm around when you're there. I work about 2 minutes away. It's part of a very well known tourist attraction so easy to find anyway.
Alpine Swift can turn up anywhere but I've always found them much easier to see in cities.
Best of luck with your trip
Tom

Alpine Swift in Berne: Just take an elevator up to Grosse Schanze/university. From up there you should be able to see Alpine Swifts easily.

For Niederhorn I would advise you to go on the ridge path north and then down the western slopes. Gives you more chances for your target species.

I'm not often up Schilthorn (it's just so expensive...) but all three species can be seen from the platforms. You can also try the other platforms where you have to change the cable car. Lammergeier is usually seen around midday or in the afternoon, Alpine Accentor is easier in the morning, Snowfinch can be encountered all day.

I have never been at Balmholz, so I can't give you better advise there. So the best is you check out every cliff with some water.

With Citril Finch there does not seem to be a clearly defined tree line but instead a thinning of trees over a wider area - is this the best place to look?
Yes, it is. Usually easy around the top of the cable car station at Niederhorn.

André

Thanks again chaps.

Sadly I don't think we will make it to Lucerne.

I hadn't appreciated the connection with water for Wallcreepers. Is it still-water or streams/rivers? How far do they tend to move away from the water?

It sounds like a late morning visit to Schilthorn is in order.

I don't suppose you know how long would be needed to take the western slopes walk at Niederhorn do you? I know it depends how long I stop along the way.

Your earlier suggestion of Valais sounds tempting. My son is into snakes and lizards and apparently it is good for Green Lizard and some other snakes.

We will be doing some lower altitude walks through Lauterbrunnen and around the shores of Lakes Thun and Brienz so I assume woodpeckers and Nutcracker will be a possibility there.

We are having breakfast in Bern so hopefully we can do that whilst looking for Alpine Swift.

Thank you again for your advice chaps. I really appreciate your help.

David

[email protected] said:

I hadn't appreciated the connection with water for Wallcreepers. Is it still-water or streams/rivers? How far do they tend to move away from the water?
David

Click to expand...

They like cliffs with some running water or some water at the base of the cliff (usually running water). However you can also sometimes find them far away from water.

André