I seem to have good luck catching Ibex with the camera. The trick seems to be due to timing, early spring is a good time as the Ibex favor the terrain just below the melting snow as it opens up new grazing for them. These photo’s are of two different groups. The first group are near Zinal in the canton Valais Switzerland and the next set were in the Vanoise. Some of the Swiss photo’s were used by version of Linux as their cover art, that particular version had a codename of “Intrepid Ibex” and the Swiss team involved wanted artwork from Switzerland.

At one time this was a threatened species but various breeding programs and protections have helped them make a good comeback and they’re a familiar sight in the remoter parts of the alps.

The golden eagle must be one of the most well known birds of prey in Europe. I happened to spot a pair of fairly young ones as I was descending from a peak in the Vanoise. You can tell these are fairly young as the white markings under the wing are more pronounced.

These birds are dark brown, with lighter golden-brown plumage on their heads and necks. Their wingspan averages over 2 m (7 ft) and their length 1 m (3 ft).

Golden Eagles use their agility and speed combined with extremely powerful talons to snatch up prey including rabbits, marmots, ground squirrels and many other prey and large mammals such as fox, wild and domestic cats, mountain goats, ibex, and young deer. They will also eat carrion if prey is scarce, as well as reptiles. Birds, including large species up to the size of swans and cranes as well as ravens and greater black backed gulls have all been recorded as prey. They have even been known to attack and kill fully grown roe deer. The huge eurasian subspecies are used to hunt and kill wolves in many native communities, where their status is regarded with great mystic reverence.

Golden Eagles maintain territories that may be as large as 155 square kilometres (60 square miles). They are monogamous and may remain together for several years or possibly for life. Golden Eagles nest in high places including cliffs, trees, or human structures such as telephone poles. They build huge nests to which they may return for several breeding years. Females lay from one to four eggs, and both parents incubate them for 40 to 45 days. Typically, one or two young survive to fledge in about three months.

Golden Eagle. (2010, August 9). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:55, August 18, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Golden_Eagle&oldid=378014655

photo’s : SwissMountainLeader.com

Marmots are a sort of squirrel common in the alps. This is an Alpine Marmot (Marmota marmota) in the Vanoise National Park in France. Although they’re quite common in Europe now they actually died out in the Pyrenees before being reintroduced in 1948.

Alpine Marmots eat plants such as grasses and herbs, as well as grain, insects, spiders and worms. They prefer young and tender plants over any other kind, and hold food in their forepaws while eating. They mainly emerge from their burrows to engage in feeding during the morning and afternoon, as they are not well suited to heat, which may result in them not feeding at all on very warm days. When the weather is suitable, they will consume large amounts of food in order to create a layer of fat on their body, enabling them to survive their long hibernation period

As the summer begins to end, Alpine Marmots will gather old stems in their burrows in order to serve as bedding for their impending hibernation, which can start as early as October. They seal the burrow with a combination of earth and their own faeces. Once winter arrives, the Alpine Marmots will huddle next to each other, and begin hibernation, a process which lowers their heart rate down to five beats per minute, and breathing down to 1–3 breaths per minute, which uses up their stored fat supplies as slowly as possible. Their body temperatures will drop to almost the same as the air around them, although their heart rate and breathing will speed up if they approach freezing point. Some Alpine Marmots will starve to death despite this, due to their layer of fat running out. This is most likely to happen in the younger Alpine Marmots than the older ones

At one time marmots were hunted for their fat which was though to cure rheumatism.

source : Alpine marmot. (2010, August 3). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:47, August 18, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alpine_marmot&oldid=376884226

photo’s : SwissMountainLeader.com

liverleaf, hepatica nobilis, March-April, 5-15cm high

This doesn’t flower for very long and the one and only time I’ve seen one is in the French Vanoise National Park. It’s leaf is shaped like a liver and was once considered to be a treatment for liver complaints including hepatitis although there’s no evidence to support this.

rampion, Phyteuma hemisphaericum, July-Sept, 5-30cm

Also known as the round headed rampion or the round-headed horned rampion. You tend to find these on limestone soils over 2500m in height. We found this while on a via feratta locally.

sheep's-bit, Jasione montana, June-August, 10-45cm high

Incredibly although sheep’s bit doesn’t grow more than 45cm the roots can extend a metre underground allowing the plant to gather water even in sandy soils.

Alpine Forget-me-not, Myosotis alpestris, June-Sept, 5-30cm

This is a common flower in the alpine regions but it’s also found in the US where it’s the state flower of Alaska since 1949.

In Evangeline, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote,

Silently, one by one, in the infinite meadows of Heaven,

Blossom the lovely stars, the forget-me-nots of the angels.