ALPS OROBIE FAUNA

During the last years there has been a sensible increase in the number of some species of animals of the Brembana Valley, thanks to a greater protection, a greater strictness in hunting and above all a greater civil awareness and respect towards the nature. What's more, in those last decades the coppice hasn't been cut and this has made life easy to some animals that live in those woods. On the contrary a lot of mechanic means that go on this mountain roads, tourists and mushrooms gatherers disturb those animals above all during the breeding period and this can cause a sensible fall in the number of the members of a species. Everyone who likes mountains and their animals has to remember this: in the mountains you have to avoid making any noise and you have to respect every being you meet. Among the ungulates one of the most common species of the OROBIE is the chamois. You can find it from Barbellino in the high Val Seriana to Pegherolo in the Val Brembana. Nowadays it is quite easy to see herds of chamois going along the paths of Curò you have only to leave early in the morning, keep silent and walk against the wind. Even the red deer has recently increased; it lives at low altitudes in thick bush wood and in coppice.

The red deer is not a typical alpine species and lives in the whole area of the Orobie Prealps. Foxes, that are considered the parasites of human activities, have increased too. You can see foxes only at night when they come out from their lairs for hunting. Recently many attempts have been done in order to stop the diffusion of the rabies by using bits containing vaccine. In these mountains you can also find two different species of hare: one species lives at an average altitude, and the other above the 2000 metres. The rock whistler now has increased above all in the most quite deep valley of the Orobie.

They were imported from Valtellina and now they are spread in the whole Orobie. Sometimes you can hear their characteristic alarm whistles near the screes in which there are their lairs. In the Orobie there are other little mammals such as: ermines, weasels, beech-martens and squirrels.. Even the hedgehog lives at a low altitude. Among the bird life there are crows and choughs and some species of birds of prey in particular hawks, kites and buzzards.

The golden eagle has been seen recently, even if only few times. There's also a quite good number of partridges. On the contrary the number of the greck partridges has been falling, because of the consanguinity and the abandon of a lot of mountain pastures. The viper is the most common reptile and now it's increasing and increasing. It can be dangerous only if you disturb it, as soon as it feels the vibrations of the footsteps on the ground it runs away quickly. You haven't to confuse vipers with grass snakes and slow worms, those reptiles are infact quite common in wet zones, where you can also find salamanders and frogs. Among the fishes there are trots and chars but now they are threatened by water pollution. In the large insect family, in the Orobie you can find spiders and butterflies. At least respect the red ant; it's a very important agent in the environmental balance of the brushwood. You can find its nest made by pine needles in a lot of woods.

FAUNA ALPI E PREALPI OROBIE BERGAMASCHE - VALLE BREMBANA