This article was written by Andrew Pilkington, who, with Liza Stewart, completed self-guided walks Heart of the Italian Alps in 2023 and The Five Days of the Matterhorn in 2024. Our thanks to Andrew and Liza. All MTW guests are welcome to contribute to these pages. And needless to say – if these trips take your interest, you can depart almost any day from June through to September, so contact us to book.
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You don’t need to be a ‘Twitcher’ to enjoy the birdlife of the valley. Simply by keeping your eyes peeled and ears pricked you are highly likely to be rewarded with sightings of some very special birds whilst walking along the stunning trails.
Over the course of five walks during August 2023 a total of 37 bird species were spotted without resorting to lurking in the bushes for hours on end.
The most common birds were Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros – pictured), Jay (Garalus glandarius) and with their smart chestnut caps Italian Sparrow (Passer domesticus italiae). All of these birds could be spotted every day in the towns and villages along the routes.
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On Walk 1 it was the Swallows, Swifts and Crag Martins that took centre stage with their amazing aerobatic displays.
A five minute stop to catch our breath at the top of a climb on Walk 2 provided an impressive tally of Red Backed Shrike (Lanius collurio) also known as a Butcher bird for its habit of hanging its food on thorns and barbed wire fences, Firecrest (Regulus ignicapillus – pictured) a little gem of a bird, Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata), Bonelli’s Warbler (Phylloscopus bonelli) and Green Woodpecker (Picus viridis).
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The pine trees at the picnic area on Walk 3 gave us some close up views of two beautiful and very obliging Crested Tits (Parus cristatus).
This is a bird that is very rare in the UK so it was a wonderful opportunity to see them at such close quarters.
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The high vineyards near Morgex on Walk 4 proved to be home to a very extravagant Hoopoe (Upupa epops – pictured) with its splendid crest.
And we also spied a pair of Snow Finches (Montifringilla nivalis) showing off their unmistakable broad white wing patches and white tail edges.
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Perhaps the most special of all the sightings came on the optional Walk 5.
While crossing the bridge over the river near Palud an elusive Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria) was spotted amongst the rocks.
This is a bird which is so difficult to see until it takes flight and shows off its incredible scarlet wings.
The full list of birds spotted:-
Black kite (Milvus migrans)
Common buzzard (Buteo buteo)
Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
Raven (Corvus corax)
Carrion crow (Corvus corone corone)
Hooded crow (Corvus corone cornix)
Magpie (Pica pica)
Jay (Garalus glandarius )
Rock dove (Columba livia)
Collard dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
Feral pigeon (Columba livia domest.)
Great tit (Parus major)
Long tailed tit (Aegithelos caudatus)
Crested tit (Parus cristatus)
Snow finch (Montifringilla nivalis)
Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)
Swift (Apus apus)
Alpine swift (Apus melba)
Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
House martin (Delichon urbica)
Crag martin (Hirundo rupestris)
House sparrow (Passer domesticus)
Italian sparrow (Passer domesticus italiae)
White wagtail (Motacilla alba alba)
Grey wagtail (Moticilla cinerea)
Black redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros )
Blackbird (Turdus merula)
Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
Green woodpecker (Picus viridis)
Spotted flycatcher (Muscicapa striata)
Firecrest (Regulus ignicapillus)
Bonellis warbler (Phylloscopus bonelli)
Treecreeper (Certhia familiaris)
Red backed shrike (Lanius collurio)
Hoopoe (Upupa epops)
Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria)
This is far from an exhaustive list for the area and every trip will produce a different set of birds depending on time of year and how lucky you happen to be. For example a trip on the Skyway cable car will almost certainly provide sightings of Alpine chough and Alpine accentors.
It goes without saying that when watching or looking for birds be sure to stop in a safe place. Some of the paths are narrow and eroded with steep drops. Unlike the birds we don’t have wings if we fall.
For more information on the wildlife of the Aosta Valley two useful website links are :
inaturalist A pictorial check list of wildlife in the Valle d’Aosta
ebird aosta Lists of recent bird sightings in Valle d’Aosta
