In woodlands of the Alpine foothills, and in the Jura, the bizarre call of the capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) rattles in the early hours of a spring dawn: first a pop, then another, followed by a quickening succession that precedes what can only be described as a cork being drawn from a bottle. The capercaillie is scarce enough in the Alps to create a thrill of excitement when heard or seen – its dark shape has easy camouflage in a beech, larch or pine wood where it can feed on assorted berries, buds and needles, but where it can also fall prey to such predators as the fox and marten, while the young are sometimes taken by a goshawk or golden eagle.

Game birds of the forest regions are notoriously difficult to observe except, perhaps, when accidentally flushed out of cover. The hazel hen (Tetrastes bonasia), black grouse (Lyrurus tetrix), ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus) and rock partridge (Alectoris graeca) are all found in the National Park, as is the long-billed woodcock (Scolopax rusticola), in marshy ground near the tree line.

Other woodland birds found in various parts of Switzerland include a number of owls: the eagle owl, tawny, long-eared, pygmy, and small, golden-eyed tengmalm’s owl (Aegolius funereus), which takes over the abandoned nests of woodpeckers. There are several species of woodpecker too, notably the green, great-spotted, black, and rare three-toed woodpecker (Picoides tridactylus), all of which are found at some time or other in the forests of the National Park.

There’s no shortage of songbirds, most of which are widely distributed throughout Europe, but it is the mountain specialists that are notable in the high Alpine regions and whose presence adds an extra dimension to the climber’s day – the alpine accentor (Prunella collaris), for example, whose nest has been discovered above 3000m and whose song resembles that of the lark, as does its mating flight. Another is the brightly coloured rock thrush (Monticola saxitilis) that returns to the Alps in mid-May after wintering in tropical Africa. Then there’s the alpine chough (Pyrrhocorax graculus), whose aerial acrobatics, yellow beak and strident call are familiar to all who visit the hikers’ huts in the high mountains, where this gregarious bird comes as a scavenger after leftover scraps of food.

The golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetus) builds its eyrie on inaccessible rock ledges high in the mountains, and with no shortage of sites to choose from, and no shortage of prey either, there’s a fair chance of spotting one of these graceful predators sailing over the high pastures in search of food. The golden eagle has a broad appetite: although its basic diet in the summer consists of marmot, it will also strike grouse and mountain hare, and may even try to take the young of chamois and red deer. Since it makes short work of sick and weak animals, its contribution to the maintenance of strong, healthy species is significant.