Alpine Chough (Pyrrhocorax graculus)
July 7, 2008
I went for walk on top of Goldeck the other day and saw a swarm of alpine choughs soaring around the summit while producing the most peculiar sound. First-timer for me. And of course I left my camera at home. This one’s borrowed:
July 8, 2008 at 1:58 pm
I’m not familiar with the Chough. Crow family?
July 8, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Yes, it belongs to the Corvidae family and is native to the Pyrenees and the Alps all the way to Central Asia and India. It can only be found in the high mountains, from the tree line up to 4000 metres. I was only at 2200 metres though.
September 30, 2008 at 1:32 pm
Thought you might like to see one in winter. This was on the Argentiere Glacier (Chamonix) in a howling snow storm. It seemed quite happy, and was happy to take food scraps from us too.
Can’t get the photo uploaded though