Bearded vultures and golden eagles of the Engadin
Bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) — first Alpine wild breeding in 2007 in Switzerland; golden eagle; alpine chough. Swiss National Park, Engadin, Albula, Switzerland.
Best time: 15 Jun – 30 Sep (June to September). Where: Val Trupchun and Val Mingèr, Swiss National Park, Nationalparkzentrum Zernez, Albula pass / Bergün (Switzerland). Time of day: Vultures and eagles soar once thermals build, from about 10:00 to mid afternoon.
- You can go on your own
- Free
- Telescope recommended
- Sound 1/5
Open it in the interactive calendarSunrise and sunset listening times for the day you pick, and the map.
When is the best time?
Peak: 15 Jun – 30 Sep. June to September for reliable soaring (national park trails open); adults are resident all year
Active from 1 Jan to 31 Dec (all year) in a typical year.
Time of day
Vultures and eagles soar once thermals build, from about 10:00 to mid afternoon; marmots and choughs in the early morning before that.
- Thermals: 10:00 → 15:00
What will you hear?
Silence and wind — the recording is of the alpine air, chough flocks, marmots and the occasional whoosh of a 2.8 m wingspan overhead; the visual spectacle is the point.
Binoculars?
Telescope recommended. Vultures and eagles ride thermals hundreds of metres up; binoculars essential, a scope for the beard and colour rings.
Where to go
- Val Trupchun and Val Mingèr, Swiss National Park — Regular bearded vulture sightings; marked trails only, out by dark. Map
- Nationalparkzentrum Zernez — Current territory and sighting information. Map
- Albula pass / Bergün — Outside the park; vultures and eagles over the pass; road noise on the pass. Map
How to go on your own, and what it costs
Val Trupchun and Val Mingèr on the marked park trails by day (out by dark); Zernez park centre for current territories; Albula pass road lay-bys outside the park.
Cost: Free; Nationalparkzentrum Zernez exhibition CHF 9 adult (2026).
Field-recording notes
Filed here for completeness and as a companion to the Val Trupchun rut: acoustically this is a chance to record alpine wind and marmots with a raptor as garnish. Park rules as for the rut. Report sightings to the Stiftung Pro Bartgeier.
Sources
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