Bird Identification in French Alps (1 Viewer)

[motz_uk]

Hi - I live in Les Carroz, altitude 1200 m, in Northern French Alps (Haute Savoie). We walk and climb from 800 m to 2,500m, the tree line is about 2,000m. As I am new to birds, can anyone help me with a list of some likely birds I should look out for here and a few pointers on how to recognise them? Any help gratefully received. Thanks

 

[robinm]

I am sure someone will be able to provide better assistance, although this is rather a large topic.

When we went on a walking holiday in the area the Alpine Chough was one of the more obvious species and of interest because its UK cousin is not that easy to see.

 

[motz_uk]

Thanks Robin - I have found the Alpine Chough in one of our books - will now be on the look out for it!

Cheers

 

[Michael Frankis]

Hi Nick,

Here's some birds to look out for (in standard bird book order):

Great Crested Grebe (Lac Leman)
Grey Heron (ponds & rivers)
Mute Swan (ponds)
Teal (ponds)
Mallard (ponds & rivers)
Tufted Duck (Lac Leman)
Common Pochard (Lac Leman)
Common Eider (Lac Leman, winter)
Goldeneye (Lac Leman, winter)
Goosander (Lac Leman, winter)
Honey-buzzard (forests; not an easy bird to find!)
Black Kite (rubbish tips, roadsides looking for roadkill animals)
Red Kite (ditto)
Hen Harrier (farmland)
Goshawk (forests)
Sparrowhawk (forests & woods)
Common Buzzard (forests & woods)
Golden Eagle (rare; mainly above tree line)
Kestrel (farmland, open ground)
Hobby (wooded farmland, often over ponds)
Peregrine Falcon (mountain crags)
Ptarmigan (high mountain tops, above 2300m)
Red-legged Partridge (farmland)
Grey Partridge (farmland)
Pheasant (farmland)
Moorhen (ponds)
Coot (lakes)
Little Ringed Plover (river shingle beds & pond edges)
Common Snipe (wet grassland)
Common Sandpiper (river shingle beds & pond edges)
Green Sandpiper (muddy pond edges, spring & autumn passage only)
Black-headed Gull (Lac Leman)
Common Gull (Lac Leman)
Herring Gull (Lac Leman)
Yellow-legged Gull (Lac Leman)
Common Tern (Lac Leman)
Black Tern (Lac Leman; passage only)
Rock Dove a.k.a. street pigeon (towns)
Stock Dove (woods)
Wood Pigeon (woods)
Collared Dove (towns)
Turtle Dove (farmland at low altitudes)
Tawny Owl (woods)
Common Swift (towns & open country)
Kingfisher (lowland ponds & slow-flowing rivers)
Wryneck (open dry sunny woods)
Green Woodpecker (broadleaf woods)
Black Woodpecker (forests, mainly conifer)
Great Spotted Woodpecker (woods & forests)
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (lowland woods)
Three-toed Woodpecker (high altitude forests; hard to find)
Wood Lark (forest clearings)
Sky Lark (farmland)
Sand Martin (near water)
Crag Martin (rocky crags)
Swallow (farmland)
House Martin (towns)
Tree Pipit (open woods & clearings)
Meadow Pipit (farmland on passage & winter)
Water Pipit (mountains above tree line)
Blue-headed (Yellow) Wagtail (cattle fields & wet grass)
Grey Wagtail (fast-flowing streams)
White Wagtail (farms etc)
Dipper (fast-flowing streams)
Wren (woods)
Dunnock (gardens & open high altitude woods)
Alpine Accentor (high mountains)
Robin (woods)
Nightingale (low altitude scrub)
Black Redstart (towns, rocky places in mountains)
Common Redstart (open woods)
Whinchat (mountain scrub grassland)
Stonechat (dry scrub grassland)
Wheatear (high altitude rocky mountain slopes)
(Rufour-tailed) Rock Thrush (lower altitude rocky mountain slopes)
Blue Rock Thrush (towns, often around ruins; rocky areas at low altitude)
Ring Ouzel (treeline open woods)
Blackbird (towns & gardens, woods)
Fieldfare (towns & gardens, woods)
Song Thrush (gardens, woods)
Mistle Thrush (open woods up to treeline)
Marsh Warbler (wet weedy areas)
Reed Warbler (reedbeds)
Great Reed Warbler (reedbeds)
Melodious Warbler (broadleaf woods)
Lesser Whitethroat (bushes & scrub)
Common Whitethroat (farmland hedges)
Garden Warbler (bushes)
Blackcap (woods)
Bonelli's Warbler (warm dry broadleaf woods)
Wood Warbler (mountain beech & oak woods)
Chiffchaff (woods & forests, broadleaf and conifer)
Willow Warbler (passage only; young woods & scrub)
Spotted Flycatcher (woods & large gardens)
Goldcrest (conifer forests)
Firecrest (conifer forests)
Long-tailed Tit (woods & scrubland)
Marsh Tit (broadleaf & mixed woods)
Willow Tit (high altitude conifer forests)
Crested Tit (pine woods)
Coal Tit (conifer forests)
Blue Tit (woods & forests)
Great Tit (woods & forests)
Nuthatch (woods & forests)
Wallcreeper (high altitude cliffs; occasionally in towns in winter)
Treecreeper (mountain conifer forests)
Short-toed Treecreeper (lowland broadleaf woods)
Golden Oriole (lowland woods)
Red-backed Shrike (farmland hedges with large bushes)
Jay (broadleaf woods)
Magpie (farmland & towns)
Nutcracker (mountain conifer forests)
Alpine Chough (high mountains)
(Red-billed) Chough (lower altitude crags with grassland)
Jackdaw (towns etc)
Carrion Crow (widespread, towns, etc)
Raven (high mountain forests & above treeline)
Starling (towns etc)
Tree Sparrow (farmland with trees)
House Sparrow (towns & farms)
Rock Sparrow (dry lowland rocky areas)
Snowfinch (high mountains over 2100m)
Chaffinch (woods & forests)
Brambling (beech woods in winter)
Serin (gardens, etc)
Citril Finch (high altitude conifer forests)
Greenfinch (towns, gardens, farmland)
Goldfinch (towns, gardens, farmland)
Siskin (high altitude conifer forests)
Linnet (farmland)
Lesser Redpoll (treeline conifer forests)
Common Crossbill (conifer forests, particularly spruce)
Bullfinch (forests & woods)
Hawfinch (forests & woods)
Yellowhammer (scrub & farmland hedges)
Cirl Bunting (low altitude dry scrub & farmland hedges)
Rock Bunting (dry rocky slopes with grass & shrubs)
Ortolan Bunting (dry scrub & open woods)
Reed Bunting (wetlands)
Corn Bunting (farmland)

Now see if you can find them all before the end of the year!

Michael

 

[mountain man]

Bleedin' ell Michael. Now that is what I'd call a good reply to a question!!!

 

[Steve G]

Hi Nick,
Worth looking out for Bearded vultures (Lammergeier) as the initial re-introduction site was in the Haute Savoie. Griffon vultures are also possible (but less likely) in the lower reaches. Other raptors should include Golden Eagles, Goshawk & probably breeding Honey Buzzard in the heavily wooded slopes. A few Black Storks now breed in the mountainous forrests of eastern France but I'm not sure if that includes your area. Eagle Owls will be likely but are best "found" in early spring when they call frequently-usually around dawn & dusk.Tengmalm's owls are also in the area & can be attracted to nestboxes. I'm sure Alpine swift & Crag Martins should be around as should various species of Woodpecker including Black & Grey-headed. Check with others but Hazelhen & Black grouse should be about as well as an assortement of passerines such as Citril Finch, Willow tit & many others. The potential list is a long one.
Cheers,
Steve

 

[Steve G]

I see Michael has produced an extensive list -many of these will be at lower altitudes but you can always go down as well as up.

 

[Michael Frankis]

Hi Steve,

Right about Alpine Swift, I should've added that, but Grey-headed Woodpecker doesn't occur in that area according to the European Breeding Bird Atlas, the nearest are about 50-100km northwest. Hazelhen should be present, but are very difficult birds to find; ditto Tengmalm's Owl & Eagle Owl.

Michael

 

[motz_uk]

Wow! Thanks to all of you - an extensive list indeed! Best get cracking and see what I can find. So far - just in the garden (with help from mother-in-law who was out a few weeks ago) we spotted Black Redstart, Nuthatch (last Autumn) , Jay, Nutcracker and of course Sparrows and Blackbirds! Mother-in-law did see the bearded vulture recently introduced as you say.

Thanks again to all of you.

 

[fbeeldens]

Not sure whether this will apply to the birds in the Haute Savoie but...

For the citril finches you might want to keep an eye out in cleared area's / meadows / among chalets... (somewhere between 1500 and 2000 metres if my memory serves me right). We had quite a few in such terrain in the south of switzerland.

Bye,

filip

 

[bridgette]

I am looking for the french/local names of birds that frequent rivers in the mountains.
I have seen dippers and wagtails and quite a lot of riverbank wildlife.

 

[David FG]

Would Wallcreeper be a possible? Am out of range of the necessary books, so am searching what I optimistically call my mind.

 

[ambersuzy]

I have just returned from Champagny en Vanoise and saw both a Wallcreeper and Bearded Vulture there. I did not add them to my list until I was able to check other views of them online today, but I am chuffed (or should that be Alpine Choughed!) to be able to do so. Can't wait to go back now!

 

[Burdbrane]

Hi Nick,

Here's some birds to look out for (in standard bird book order):

Great Crested Grebe (Lac Leman)
Grey Heron (ponds & rivers)
Mute Swan (ponds)
Teal (ponds)
Mallard (ponds & rivers)
Tufted Duck (Lac Leman)
Common Pochard (Lac Leman)
Common Eider (Lac Leman, winter)
Goldeneye (Lac Leman, winter)
Goosander (Lac Leman, winter)
Honey-buzzard (forests; not an easy bird to find!)
Black Kite (rubbish tips, roadsides looking for roadkill animals)
Red Kite (ditto)
Hen Harrier (farmland)
Goshawk (forests)
Sparrowhawk (forests & woods)
Common Buzzard (forests & woods)
Golden Eagle (rare; mainly above tree line)
Kestrel (farmland, open ground)
Hobby (wooded farmland, often over ponds)
Peregrine Falcon (mountain crags)
Ptarmigan (high mountain tops, above 2300m)
Red-legged Partridge (farmland)
Grey Partridge (farmland)
Pheasant (farmland)
Moorhen (ponds)
Coot (lakes)
Little Ringed Plover (river shingle beds & pond edges)
Common Snipe (wet grassland)
Common Sandpiper (river shingle beds & pond edges)
Green Sandpiper (muddy pond edges, spring & autumn passage only)
Black-headed Gull (Lac Leman)
Common Gull (Lac Leman)
Herring Gull (Lac Leman)
Yellow-legged Gull (Lac Leman)
Common Tern (Lac Leman)
Black Tern (Lac Leman; passage only)
Rock Dove a.k.a. street pigeon (towns)
Stock Dove (woods)
Wood Pigeon (woods)
Collared Dove (towns)
Turtle Dove (farmland at low altitudes)
Tawny Owl (woods)
Common Swift (towns & open country)
Kingfisher (lowland ponds & slow-flowing rivers)
Wryneck (open dry sunny woods)
Green Woodpecker (broadleaf woods)
Black Woodpecker (forests, mainly conifer)
Great Spotted Woodpecker (woods & forests)
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (lowland woods)
Three-toed Woodpecker (high altitude forests; hard to find)
Wood Lark (forest clearings)
Sky Lark (farmland)
Sand Martin (near water)
Crag Martin (rocky crags)
Swallow (farmland)
House Martin (towns)
Tree Pipit (open woods & clearings)
Meadow Pipit (farmland on passage & winter)
Water Pipit (mountains above tree line)
Blue-headed (Yellow) Wagtail (cattle fields & wet grass)
Grey Wagtail (fast-flowing streams)
White Wagtail (farms etc)
Dipper (fast-flowing streams)
Wren (woods)
Dunnock (gardens & open high altitude woods)
Alpine Accentor (high mountains)
Robin (woods)
Nightingale (low altitude scrub)
Black Redstart (towns, rocky places in mountains)
Common Redstart (open woods)
Whinchat (mountain scrub grassland)
Stonechat (dry scrub grassland)
Wheatear (high altitude rocky mountain slopes)
(Rufour-tailed) Rock Thrush (lower altitude rocky mountain slopes)
Blue Rock Thrush (towns, often around ruins; rocky areas at low altitude)
Ring Ouzel (treeline open woods)
Blackbird (towns & gardens, woods)
Fieldfare (towns & gardens, woods)
Song Thrush (gardens, woods)
Mistle Thrush (open woods up to treeline)
Marsh Warbler (wet weedy areas)
Reed Warbler (reedbeds)
Great Reed Warbler (reedbeds)
Melodious Warbler (broadleaf woods)
Lesser Whitethroat (bushes & scrub)
Common Whitethroat (farmland hedges)
Garden Warbler (bushes)
Blackcap (woods)
Bonelli's Warbler (warm dry broadleaf woods)
Wood Warbler (mountain beech & oak woods)
Chiffchaff (woods & forests, broadleaf and conifer)
Willow Warbler (passage only; young woods & scrub)
Spotted Flycatcher (woods & large gardens)
Goldcrest (conifer forests)
Firecrest (conifer forests)
Long-tailed Tit (woods & scrubland)
Marsh Tit (broadleaf & mixed woods)
Willow Tit (high altitude conifer forests)
Crested Tit (pine woods)
Coal Tit (conifer forests)
Blue Tit (woods & forests)
Great Tit (woods & forests)
Nuthatch (woods & forests)
Wallcreeper (high altitude cliffs; occasionally in towns in winter)
Treecreeper (mountain conifer forests)
Short-toed Treecreeper (lowland broadleaf woods)
Golden Oriole (lowland woods)
Red-backed Shrike (farmland hedges with large bushes)
Jay (broadleaf woods)
Magpie (farmland & towns)
Nutcracker (mountain conifer forests)
Alpine Chough (high mountains)
(Red-billed) Chough (lower altitude crags with grassland)
Jackdaw (towns etc)
Carrion Crow (widespread, towns, etc)
Raven (high mountain forests & above treeline)
Starling (towns etc)
Tree Sparrow (farmland with trees)
House Sparrow (towns & farms)
Rock Sparrow (dry lowland rocky areas)
Snowfinch (high mountains over 2100m)
Chaffinch (woods & forests)
Brambling (beech woods in winter)
Serin (gardens, etc)
Citril Finch (high altitude conifer forests)
Greenfinch (towns, gardens, farmland)
Goldfinch (towns, gardens, farmland)
Siskin (high altitude conifer forests)
Linnet (farmland)
Lesser Redpoll (treeline conifer forests)
Common Crossbill (conifer forests, particularly spruce)
Bullfinch (forests & woods)
Hawfinch (forests & woods)
Yellowhammer (scrub & farmland hedges)
Cirl Bunting (low altitude dry scrub & farmland hedges)
Rock Bunting (dry rocky slopes with grass & shrubs)
Ortolan Bunting (dry scrub & open woods)
Reed Bunting (wetlands)
Corn Bunting (farmland)

Now see if you can find them all before the end of the year!

Michael

Thank you! I am from Tennessee in the United States. I am looking for to seeing as much as possible!