Wildlife in the French Pyrenees
Visit the Cirque de Troumousse in Southwestern France near Gedre
The Cirque provides easy walking in the high mountains where you can see rare and beautiful plants and animals including Isard, Marmot and exotic Gentian flowers.
'Cirques' are almost circular mountain formations, created by the action of glaciers. The 'Cirque de Troumousse' is one of the most beautiful in the French Pyrenees. It is easily accessible by car and the walking is easy.
Alpine Meadow
You can park your car in alpine meadows at 2000m (around 7000ft) on a plateau. Leave the car and ramble around, but beware of the intense mountain sun, and keep alert for rapid changes in the weather. Vultures will be watching you from on high, and while they are very nice birds, you probably do not want to be their next meal. Also, in the context of being comfortable at high altitudes, do not underestimate how much water you will need to drink. Walk slowly and quietly or you will miss things.
Gentians
In early summer you will see many types of wild flowers. Some of the most beautiful are the gentians that abound here. Single trumpets of the most vivid blue seeming to grow directly out of the ground. Single, but in places they can carpet the lawn. The smaller of the two most likely to be seen is "Gentiane printaniere" - the insignia of all alpine hunters - it has five distinct petals with a white dot at the centre. The larger of the two will probably be the "Gentiane des Alpes". It is a darker blue and has a more open trumpet where the petals form more of a fluted border.
Alpine Marmot
Skylarks will be overhead, and their will be several bird sounds around, but keep "tuned in" for a single, sharp, piercing, bird shout - it will probably be furry. Not just furry, but ridiculously over-fluffy. A caricature of the child's cuddly toy in fact. The "Alpine Marmot" is about the size of a very fat cat, with an amused, and amusing look about him. Torn between inquisitiveness and escape he will stand upright and look you in the eyes before flowing like a mink carpet over the rocks and away. The most likely place to see him is in the fields of large boulders, and the best times will be early or late in the day. He will usually have seen you first, and together with his perfect camouflage, this means that you need his alarm call in your repertoire.
Isard
Extraordinarily shy, but all around you near the snow-line are the small herds of Isard. They are the Pyrenean version of the Chamois. Deer-like, and with unbelievable agility. If you are fortunate enough to see them climb a cliff, you will not believe your eyes - even as you watch. They will never be where the people are, so nor must you be. Find a place where you can get an unusual glimpse behind a knoll, or onto a rocky face. You are most likely to see their movement first, because when stationary they simply melt into the rock. Like marmots they are very curious, but their gaze will only last milliseconds before they explode into action and magic themselves away. Nature has given them a heart that is much too big for them, and they can perform bursts of athleticism that would kill most other animals. They will literally bounce their way up seemingly vertical rock faces, and go up, and up, and up.
Getting there
Go south past Lourdes (SW France) on the road to Gavarnie. As you leave Gedre turn left to Heas and the Cirque de Troumousse. From Heas you pay a token amount to use the road up to the cirque. (Tourist information for Gedre.)
(Other articles written by John Blatchford)
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