Bearded Vulture in Vättis

On August 26, there will be a public lecture on bearded vultures at the World Heritage Visitor Center in Vättis. The speaker will be Franziska Lörcher from the Pro Bartgeier Foundation’s office. She is responsible for monitoring the local bearded vulture breeding pair.

Successful Breeding
Between 2010 and 2014, twelve bearded vultures were released into the wild in the Calfeisen Valley near Vättis. Franziska Lörcher, deputy executive director of the Pro Bartgeier Foundation, shares insights into the lives of these St. Gallen bearded vultures. With photos, she will also provide insights into the future prospects of this reintroduction project: After being driven to extinction in the 19th century, Switzerland’s largest bird has returned to the Alps. Last year, a bearded vulture brood was successfully raised in the canton of St. Gallen for the first time. This year, too, breeding and fledging were successful—so we can look forward to seeing how the bearded vultures fare in the southern part of the canton of St. Gallen.
With a wingspan of nearly 3 meters, the bearded vulture is an impressive glider. Its main diet—large bones from carcasses—is also astonishing. The bearded vulture’s habitat lies above the tree line. Many aspects of bearded vultures are unique, which makes them particularly interesting. What began 35 years ago with their reintroduction in Switzerland is now a success story for the bearded vulture. (pd)

The visitor center for the UNESCO World Heritage Site Tektonikarena Sardona is located in the former Alpine School in Vättis, at the entrance to the village, at Unterdorf 5. There is ample parking available. The bearded vulture lecture will take place on Wednesday, August 26, at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free.