Wildlife

The area abounds with wildlife and it is not difficult to see roe deer, red squirrels, ravens and buzzards and sparrowhawks. From the end of July to the middle of September you can usually have breakfast while watching the red squirrels (which are black in this area) stealing our walnuts. Take a trip along the gravel road just before breakfast and you will often see a roe deer or two. We have seen all of the following within 500 meters of the house:

Adder
Fox
Badger
Grass snake
Bank vole Mole (resident in vegetable garden)
Bats ( I'm not sure which species though)
Red squirrel
Beech marten
Roe deer
Wild boar
Salamanders
Brown Hare
Shrews
Common dormouse
Stoat
Common frog
Water shrew
Common toad (resident in patio)
Weasel
Fat dormouse
Wood mouse
Field vole
Yellow necked mouse

All except the adders are common. The most commonly seen being the red squirrels and the roe deer.
Further up the valley and often on the mountain behind the house you can see red deer, mountain ibex, chamois and marmots.

There are a whole range of insects, the most stunning of which are the literally thousands of fireflies which in late July to mid August light up the woods and glades.

For the bird enthusiast the following is a list of the birds that we have at one time or another seen first hand from our balcony:

Alpine swift
Lesser spotted woodpecker
Blackbird
Long-tailed tit
Blackcap
Mistlethrush
Blue tit
Nuthatch
Buzzard
Raven
Chaffinch
Redstart
Chiffchaff
Robin
Coal tit
Short-toed eagle
Cuckoo
Songthrush
Goldcrest
Sparrowhawk
Golden eagle
Swift
Great spotted woodpecker
Tawney owl
Great tit
Tree creeper
Green woodpecker
Woodcock
Jay
Grey heron
Swallow
Hobby
House martin
Pheasant
Pied-wagtail
Turtle dove
Red-backed shrike
Stock dove
Magpie
Little owl
Black redstart
Nightjar
Crested tit
Goldfinch
Bullfinch
Woodpigeon
Wren
Bee-eaters

and, for the first time, a few alpine accentors this year (2009), and a stork last year.

There are a lot of escapees from the bird park around the Pinerolo area and you can see sared ibis, storks and a whole range of odd birds you would never expect to find here.