Symphony of Colours (1/3)

In Fall, the Pyrenean sky seems to be within one's grasp. The air is clear: the view from the Pic du Midi in France reaches far beyond the main chain of the Alps as far as Spain, each mountain top being even more beautiful than the next. Red deer are now rutting after the does, bears are roaming the colourful valleys searching for food before they seclude themselves in a cave for their hibernation and rare bearded vultures are now getting in the mood for courtship and look for aeries for the next breeding season.  

Numerous bird fans and ornithologists from all over France come to the Pyrenees each Fall in order to observe a very special spectacle: the bird migration over the Pyrenees. Once the last red kite has crossed the Irati pass and the last cranes are heading southwards, it all of a sudden gets quiet in the mountains - Winter has come. Big snowflakes are continuously falling from the sky and cover the mountains. The onset of Winter does not bother the bearded vultures though - they have built their aerie in a steep rock wall and laid two eggs. Now they are facing two months of incubation before the squabs hatch - if everything goes well.