One afternoon we almost finished our hike through the Nockberge-mountains. In some spruce trees, we saw a family of Spotted Nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes). The followed us for several minutes and gave excellent views.
The term “Nocke” refers to the rounded shapes of the mountains in the southern Austrian Alps, which reach up to 2,400 meters in height. Part of the Gurktal Alps, the Nockberge are mainly composed of crystalline rock types and are among Austria’s oldest mountain ranges geologically. A notable geological feature of this landscape is the approximately three-kilometer-wide strip of limestone and dolomite that runs through the national park. These unique geological conditions have fostered a highly diverse range of flora and fauna in the Nockberge. Established as a national park in 1987, the Nockberge were converted into a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 2012. Unlike national parks that aim to protect wilderness areas, biosphere reserves are cultural landscapes. The Nockberge are characterized by traditional farming practices that have been maintained for centuries, with alpine agriculture playing a crucial role in preserving the vast meadows and their typical flowers.
The birdlife in the Nockberge is particularly noteworthy, with species such as the Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), Rock Partridge (Alectoris graeca), Black Grouse (Tetrao tetrix), Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus), Alpine Ptarmigan (Lagopus muta), Eurasian Dotterel (Charadrius morinellus), Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo), Eurasian Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium passerinum), Boreal Owl (Aegolius funereus), Black Woodpecker (Dryocopus martius) and Grey-headed Woodpecker (Picus canus). And this is only the list for the non-passeriformes.
Snow Finches (Montifringilla nivalis) can be found on the Großer Rosennock, the area’s highest peak at 2,400 meters. The Eurasian Crag-Martin or Rock Swallow (Ptyonoprogne rupestris) nests on the southern side of the Zunderwand, which can be reached from the Erlacher Hütte via a marked trail in about an hour. This wall is part of the three-kilometer-wide limestone band running north to south. The transition from limestone to silicate rock often spans only a few meters.
The Grey-headed Woodpecker regularly breeds in the lower areas of the Nockberge and can occasionally be seen on lichen-covered branches of deciduous trees.
The Capercaillie, whose male is the park’s symbol, thrives in the Nockberge due to its high demands for a diverse and natural habitat. The black grouse is also relatively common in the biosphere reserve, living in the subalpine forest edge zone. It requires a rich and varied habitat and stays in its territory year-round, feeding mainly on plant shoots and young shrub leaves. The male’s mating call can be heard in April and May and sometimes in late autumn. The call is a rising and falling series of bubbling sounds interspersed with hissing, audible for kilometers in calm weather.
Observing a Rock Partridge would be a special experience, as it reaches its northern distribution limit in the Alps. In the Nock area, it inhabits steep, rocky, south-facing slopes with sparse or no forest. It is a resident bird but moves to lower regions when snow is deep. The Rock Partridge is generally threatened in the Alps, mainly due to habitat loss from ski resorts, tourism, and the upward shift of the treeline due to the abandonment of mountain mowing.
The Spotted Nutcracker is easily recognizable with its brown base color and white speckling. It lives in mountain and coniferous forests up to the treeline, particularly in stone pine stands in the Nockberge. Though generally omnivorous, it primarily feeds on plant matter in the biosphere reserve, especially stone pine nuts, which it stores in large quantities for winter. Thanks to its good memory, it finds nearly all its caches in winter. A nutcracker can create several thousand caches annually. Near the Grundalm is a beautiful block forest with large rockfall blocks supporting larch, stone pine, and spruce, a good spot to find the nutcracker. Another prime location is the largest contiguous stone pine forest in the Nockberge, between 1,700 and 1,900 meters along the Rosentalweg near the Schießtalscharte and the Turracher Höhe.
Some species, like the Snow Finch and Alpine Ptarmigan, can be observed even in winter, primarily above the treeline. The impressive flight skills of Alpine Choughs (Pyrrhocorax graculus) are often seen near mountain restaurants and lift buildings. Winter hikers in the stone pine forest or near the treeline may spot a nutcracker quickly hopping from branch to branch.
In the national park, water bodies are essential features of the alpine landscape. Numerous springs feed small and large streams, creating a dynamic water network that shapes the varied landscape. Besides flowing waters, numerous lakes enhance the region’s aesthetic appeal and habitat diversity. Their typically nutrient-poor, very cold water supports only a few specially adapted species.
The Nockberge National Park is well developed for tourism, with the excellent 34-kilometer Nockalmstraße crossing its outer zone. From numerous parking areas, well-marked hiking trails offer various tours. In some places outside the park, chairlifts provide access to some mountain peaks, from where extensive hikes across the wide alpine pastures of the Nockberge can be started.
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