The breeding bird fauna of the Hüpflinger Alm

The Hüpflinger Alm is located in the natural zone of the National Park. A large part of the former alpine pasture area, which is to be regularly hit again in the future, is now forest. Unofficially, at the beginning of the pasture season, in June and July, the cattle of Scheucheggalm used the Hüpflinger Alm for 3 to 4 weeks. The short and extensive grazing serves to preserve the open and semi-open areas and can therefore only be welcomed, because pasture and meadow areas represent very interesting habitats from a zoological point of view. However, the range of habitats and the structural richness as well as the type of management are essential for the species spectrum and the conservation value of alpine pastures. In order to record the species spectrum and the conservation status of endangered species, the collection of basic zoological data on alpine pastures of the national park began in 2003/2004. In addition to invertebrates (insects, spiders), which are well suited to make surface- and parcel-sharp statements due to their relatively small space requirements, small mammals and birds were selected as indicator groups. As part of the project, nature conservation assessments of habitats with regard to different succession stages and plant communities are to be carried out as well as proposals to optimise the management practices. In addition, it is possible to obtain up-to-date data on the species inventory on the alpine pastures for the selected indicator groups and to lay a foundation for a longer-term monitoring programme.