3. From Valbonnais to Les Daurens

3 points of interest

• 

  Fauna

  The short-toed snake eagle

  Spring has hardly begun when high up in the spire a piercing cry is heard. You must raise your head to admire two large birds flying together, alternating acrobatics and motionlessness in the sky, like two silver kites playing with the wind. Their light-coloured, squat silhouette and their darker head help to identify the short-toed snake eagle. They mainly feed on reptiles (lizards and snakes), which they capture by the head and regurgitate to feed their chicks.

• 

  Fauna

  White-throated dipper

  The white-throated dipper is easy to spot, as long as you are discreet. It lives along rivers and mountain streams. A small reddish and grey bird, with a short tail, its beak is slender, and it has a white mark from the chin to the breast. This surprising passerine bird is unusual in walking on the river bed in search of food against the current. It lies flat and grips the river bed with its claws, and with its eyes open, protected from the water by a fine membrane, it can spot worms, larva, small shellfish and fish.

• 

  Geology and geography

  The Chantelouve fault

  In the regions of Chantelouve and Ornon, and continuing further north and south, the Col d'Ornon Fault is a major geological rift that was discovered and interpreted, leading to the completion of the theory of the Alpine chain formation. The geological interpretation of the remarkable site at "La Chalp de Chantelouve" made dating possible and increased understanding of the formation of certain phases of the Alps. In particular, from observations made on the Col d'Ornon Fault, geologists developed the theory of “tumbled blocks" and understood how fundamental geological Alpine accidents took place and their role. Today, many geology students and geologists from France and all over the world come to study this key site.