Alpine ibexes around the Grossglockner in Austria

Ibexes around the Grossglockner – majestic climbing artists of the Alps, who ascend even the steepest rock faces with impressive ease and feel at home in the airy heights. In my last blog post, I wrote about the marmots – small, nimble inhabitants of the alpine meadows. Now, in the second part, it continues with the ibexes around the Grossglockner. Additionally, I introduce some bird species that can be observed at the Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe. Enjoy reading!

Ibexes around the Grossglockner

While the marmots at the Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe were very easy to observe, it wasn’t quite as simple with the ibexes around the Grossglockner.

But already within the first hour I spent on the trail between the Panorama Restaurant and the Wilhelm Swarovski Observation Tower, I spotted the first ibex way up high behind some rocks.

Next to me stood an Austrian who said that the ibexes around the Grossglockner would come down. You just needed a bit of patience.

He seemed to know what he was talking about because he said that in summer he would go up to the Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe two to three times a week.

Okay.

I was optimistic.

And yes. The ibexes around the Grossglockner did come down a bit. But all the way to the observation tower?

At that moment, I found that hard to imagine.

The occasional marmot seemed to want to join one or another ibex.

So, I waited for the ibexes.

And waited and waited.

Then it got too cold for me, and I went back to the hotel to grab an extra sweater.

When I came back, they still hadn’t come down—but a bit more than before.

I watched a few seemingly younger ibexes as they playfully frolicked around.

By the time it was already six in the evening, it grew increasingly quiet. The Austrian also decided to head back down to the valley.

The ibexes around the Grossglockner seemed to be on their way down. But when would they actually arrive down on the trail?

Ibexes are especially recognizable by their mighty, curved horns. While the horns of the males, the ibex bucks, can grow up to one meter long, those of the females, called does, are shorter and barely curved. The Alpine ibex, like other ibex species such as the Iberian ibex, belongs to the goat family (Capra).

As the name suggests, the Alpine ibex lives in the Alps, including at the Grossglockner.

And then the moment finally came. Almost all day visitors had already left. And exactly then, the ibexes around the Grossglockner came further down.

What were they up to?

I couldn’t quite tell. Sometimes they stopped and locked their horns together, and other times they walked on.

But the “fights” didn’t seem very serious. Maybe it was just play among the ibexes.

Ibexes live at altitudes of up to 3,500 meters. Depending on the season and time of day, they prefer different elevations. While ibexes migrate to lower areas in winter, they tend to stay higher up in summer. But when it’s time to feed, they gladly come down to forage on alpine meadows.

That’s exactly what they seemed to be doing on the evening I was there.

They were eating and barely paid any attention to me.

I was thrilled by my observations.

They even came all the way down to the hiking trail.

I wasn’t completely alone after all. At one point, a couple with a dog walked past me. They asked, “Are they dangerous?”

I wasn’t quite sure how to answer.

How do the ibexes around the Grossglockner behave towards us humans? And especially towards people with dogs?

They were brave enough and walked past the ibexes. The ibexes around the Grossglockner seemed harmless that evening and didn’t pay much attention to us (though you should always be cautious!). They glanced over briefly, but then just kept eating.

I had actually planned to join an ibex tour. I had even booked a tour from home. However, since I had such wonderful observations at the Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe, I decided to cancel the tour.

That was one reason. The other reason was the meeting point for the tour. Although it would have been only about two to three kilometers from the Panorama Restaurant at Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe to the Glocknerhaus—the starting point of the tour—depending on the route taken, the elevation difference between Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe and the Glocknerhaus was so large that the return trip would have taken quite a long time. The tour was supposed to start at 7:00 a.m. and last about two and a half hours, but afterwards, I would have still had a considerable uphill walk back to Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe. Since it was my departure day, I decided to cancel the tour. I could have managed it time-wise, but in the end, I decided against it. It was really steep…

Further down, I write about my hiking tour there, which was very beautiful but at times really challenging!

Birds at the Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe

A very striking bird at the Grossglockner is the Alpine chough.

The Alpine chough, like the hooded crow, the Eurasian jay, and the magpie, belongs to the crow family. With its black plumage, red legs, and yellow beak, the Alpine chough is relatively easy to recognize.

Their whistling calls are especially characteristic.

Although the calls can vary.

I experienced the Alpine choughs at the Grossglockner as generally very sociable animals, even though they still showed a certain wariness. Alpine choughs live in larger groups and are very rarely seen in pairs or small family units.

It felt like I saw Alpine choughs everywhere at the Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe.

But of course, there were also some treats on the ground.

It was especially exciting and admirable to watch them during their acrobatic gliding flights.

And when I was searching for the marmots and scanning the ground, here and there an Alpine chough would appear.

But most of the time, they flew away quickly as soon as I spotted them.

Alpine choughs prefer montane and alpine areas above the tree line as their habitat. This means they are usually found at higher elevations, so you have to go into the mountains if you want to see them. Although in winter, they can occasionally be found in lower areas.

The Alpine chough is not one of my usual sightings, which made them something special for me.

Besides the adult Alpine choughs, there were also some juveniles around.

I could tell by the still dark beaks of these birds.

As mentioned earlier, Alpine choughs snatch up the occasional dropped treat. Alpine choughs are indeed omnivores. However, naturally, they don’t eat fries or similar things, but rather invertebrates like insects, snails, or earthworms, as well as fruits, which are part of their preferred diet.

The Alpine choughs at the Grossglockner were especially active in the early morning hours.

I quietly sat down on the ground, hoping to capture a few portraits of the Alpine chough.

One Alpine chough seemed quite comfortable on a railing and stayed seated a little longer.

And it massaged its head on the railing.

Although it was primarily the marmots and ibexes around the Grossglockner that drew my attention to the excursion spot, I wondered why the Alpine chough wasn’t counted among the “HighFive.”

Nevertheless, there were not only Alpine choughs among the birds at Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe.

I had especially beautiful sightings of the water pipit several times.

I was already familiar with the meadow pipit. I had seen meadow pipits before in Iceland and in Germany on Borkum.

But the water pipit was a first for me at the Grossglockner, that is, in the Austrian Alps.

Or have I maybe encountered a water pipit somewhere before but just didn’t notice it?

Because the water pipits at Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe were definitely shy.

Water pipits live in the mountains of Central and Southern Europe, as well as in Western and Central Asia.

As the name suggests, the water pipit lives in mountainous areas. It prefers alpine meadows as its habitat.

On my last morning, I observed a water pipit several times along the roadside. It noticed me and looked in my direction. My presence didn’t seem to make it entirely comfortable.

Like the Alpine chough, the water pipit feeds on insects, snails, and worms. As a result, it spends a lot of time on the ground and is particularly cautious.

Unlike the Alpine chough, however, I did not observe the water pipit searching for food scraps under the tables on the restaurant’s veranda.

Maybe that was just a bit too close to people for its liking?

I saw two more birds at Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe, but only for brief moments.

On the one hand, I saw the alpine accentor (left photo) and the ring ouzel (right photo).

Flora of the Alps

I was especially delighted by the colourful meadows at the Grossglockner. Unfortunately, I only captured a tiny glimpse of the plant life at Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe. Two or three days simply weren’t enough to really dive into the local flora as well.

Still, I managed to capture a few photographic impressions. One plant that seemed particularly popular with the marmots at the Grossglockner was the bladder campion (Silene vulgaris).

In terms of colour, what stood out to me the most were the golden hawk’s-beard (Crepis aurea, left photo) and the aristate yellow-rattle (Rhinanthus glacialis, right photo).

In contrast, the silvery yarrow (Achillea clavennae) with its white petals (top left) appeared almost inconspicuous. Two plants that carry the word “Alpine” in their name are the Alpine thistle (Carduus defloratus, bottom left) and the Alpine avens (Geum montanum, right photo).

This is just a very small glimpse into the plant life of the Alps. On top of that, I’m anything but a plant expert, so I want to be very cautious when it comes to identifying species. Still, I was truly overwhelmed by the variety of plants at Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe. The meadows there are especially beautiful and full of colour.

Hiking at the Grossglockner

Even though most visitors stop at Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe just briefly, it’s also possible to go hiking from there.

While I spent my mornings and evenings observing wildlife and taking photos, I planned a hike for the late morning, midday, and early afternoon. I hadn’t actually intended to go very far, because the meadow I walked down from Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe was quite steep. I was a little worried… I’d have to hike all the way back up again.

So I didn’t want to go too far, knowing I’d have to climb the mountain again later.

But then one beautiful landscape followed another, and I just couldn’t stop. I had to keep going—on and on.

The hike was absolutely beautiful.

I met other hikers along the way, heading from the Margaritzen Reservoir toward the Elisabeth Rock.

I had to go there too. It was simply too beautiful to turn around.

Eventually, the trail led me across a suspension bridge over the Müll Gorge and down to the Pasterze Glacier.

It was absolutely stunning!

I’m so glad I didn’t turn back…

But the final stretch back up to Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe was anything but easy. I wasn’t the only one struggling with the nearly vertical path. There was a glacier lift for the last section up—but I thought: I’ve come this far; I can make it on foot.

I reached my destination, but I was completely exhausted afterward…

Zell am See

I experienced the town of Zell am See as a very lively place. Although Zell am See is a relatively small Austrian town with around 10,000 inhabitants, it’s quite busy in the summer. Accordingly, there are many hotels. You probably don’t get much of a sense of “everyday” life in July, as the town is filled with tourists. When I was looking for my accommodation and my phone wasn’t working, it was extremely difficult to find a local. In the end, it was another tourist who used her phone to help me find my way. I was also asked for directions several times myself…

Still, Zell am See is beautifully located. It’s nestled in the Alps and is well-known among hikers and winter sports enthusiasts.

As the name suggests, the small town lies on a lake. I spent two nights in Zell am See before taking the Glockner Bus up to Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe. Since the return bus only arrived back in Zell am See in the evening, I stayed one more night there, as I had travelled by train.

Zell am See is stunning. But for me, two days there were enough. The lake was the highlight of Zell am See for me. As there wasn’t much else I wanted to do in the town itself, I spent my time taking long beautiful walks around the lake.

Practical information

Glockner Bus

The Glockner Bus can be booked as a day trip. However, it is also possible to purchase the outbound and return trips separately on different days. That’s what I did because I stayed two nights at Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe. I paid €34.00 each for the outbound and return trips, totalling €68.00. I boarded the bus in Zell am See and travelled to the final stop at Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe. I bought the ticket from Vorderegger Travel.

The Glockner Bus departed from the parking lot of the indoor swimming pool in Zell am See at 9:30 a.m. The departure time back down to the valley from Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe can vary. According to my schedule on the day of my return trip, it was supposed to leave at 2:00 p.m. But the bus actually left about an hour later, giving day visitors a bit more time at the Grossglockner.

Accommodation

At Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe, I stayed at the hotel of the Panorama Restaurant. They offer single, double, and triple rooms. Since I was traveling alone and no single rooms were available, I had to book a double room. One night cost €104. It was expensive, but I accepted it. After all, how often do you get the chance to sleep so high up in the mountains? The hotel was very clean, modern, and almost luxurious. Then the question arises: Do you want to sleep like this in the mountains during summer, or would you prefer a simple hut? Since I get cold easily, this was just right for me.

More information

Have you ever been to Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe and seen ibexes around the Grossglockner? Or have you spotted ibexes somewhere else? Let us know in the comments!