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Description
If you have a morning or afternoon on the weekend in Chur, the local mountain Calanda is a surprisingly good place for some attractive observations. Almost 200 species have been recorded on the Graubünden side of the mountain.
The area at the foot of the mountain is best visited at Rossboden/Rheinsand. Here you follow the straightened river Rhine on a popular footpath. Vodomar and Vodenkos can be observed. The most attractive part of the site is a military training area (‘Schiess- und Ausbildungsplatz Rossboden/Rheinsand ’, No. 1 on the map), which is usually only open to the public at weekends. The opening times can be found in the link below. The left side of the Rhine is not accessible. Obična travarka, Crnoglava travarka, Cvrčić tršćar, Obična crvenrepka, Mali detlić, Mali slavuj, Rusi svračak, Vijoglava, and Strnadica kamenjarka are regularly observed in this area. In winter, Planinski popić can sometimes be found in large numbers in the meadows, and the Puzgavac also spends the colder times of the year at low altitudes. One of the few near-natural structures, three islands (2) between Chur and Felsberg, are worth a detour, as they are one of the rare breeding sites of the Polojka in Switzerland.
The area can also be viewed from above: From Felsberg, the lower Calanda can be hiked on a panoramic trail that offers a beautiful view of Chur. It runs above the Waffenplatz and is only open at weekends from 15 April to 15 September. Various hiking trails (3) also lead ambitious hikers with more time up to the Calanda, which consists of coniferous forest, meadows and rocky areas. They are home to mountain species such as the Alpska žutarica, Puzgavac, Ruševac, Krstokljun, and Crna žuna .
Whether you are up high or down in the valley, it is always worth taking a look upwards: Kobac, Osičar, and Suri orao can be observed on the flank of the mountain, benefiting from the thermals, while Bradan and Zmijar are rarer.
Speaking of rarities, the unusual sightings noted here are an incentive to expand the list: Troprsti galeb, Siva vetruška, Crni orao, Eja livadarka, Mali soko, Ostrigar, Belovrata muharica, Crvenoglavi svračak, Mala ševa, and Sivi barski petlić have already been observed. A Prugasti orao, which had not been observed in the field, was also detected in the area by satellite in August 2021.
Details
Access
The area close to the city centre can be easily reached by bus, bike or car. You can start the described trail at P+R Obere Au (P; bus or car). The trail, accessible by foot or bike, leads along the Rhine and across the Waffenplatz (1). If the latter is closed, the bypass is well signposted. At Felsberg, the trail crosses the river and leads up the mountain (about 200m height difference). This part can only be explored on foot. It continues on the flank of the mountain towards Felsberg. This part is only open on the weekends from 15 of April to 15 of November. At Haldenstein, you can either choose to complete the round trip or take the bus from the bridge at Haldenstein to Chur, as the last part of the trip is close to the motorway and therefore quite noisy.