During the 2020 lockdown, one of the rarest and largest raptors in Europe visited the Peak District, sparking the curiosity of thousands. This was far from the Bearded Vulture’s usual habitat, as the species typically inhabits mountainous terrains in Europe, mainly in the Alps and the Pyrenees.
Nicknamed 'Vigo' at the time, this Bearded Vulture represented only the second-ever confirmed sighting of the species in the UK.
With no tags or rings, many speculated about the vulture's identity and origin. Ultimately, feathers collected at a preening site in the Peak District told her story. Sent to Pro Bartgeier in Switzerland for DNA analysis, the feathers confirmed that 'Vigo' was actually 'Flysch,' a female hatched on 6 July 2019 in a wild nest in Haute-Savoie, high up in the French Alps. She is the offspring of a wild-hatched father and a zoo-reared mother named Zufall, who was released into the wild in 2006.
Following her long four-month stay in the UK, Flysch-Vigo went 'missing' after she was last spotted in October 2020, flying south over the sea from the coast of the UK. No one knew if she had returned to the mainland or made it back to the Alps - until recently.
Matt Buckler, Director of Natural Solutions at Derbyshire Wildlife Trust said:
“We are absolutely thrilled to hear that Vigo has been rediscovered again. When this magnificent bird decided to spend the summer of 2020 in the Peak District, it was fascinating to monitor her, and she brought a lot of joy to tens of thousands of people.
“She has given everyone a glimpse of what a wilder future could look like if we help nature’s recovery. That’s why we’re excited to be working on an ambitious plan to halt and reverse declining native species abundance across the Peak District.
“Our Wild Peak Programme is working to transform habitats into wildlife rich spaces across the Peak District. Through this work we are kickstarting natural processes, tackling habitat loss, protecting ecosystems, restoring habitats and connecting more spaces for nature to benefit people and wildlife on a landscape scale, whilst simultaneously delivering our strategy for a nature-based economy.
“The fact that she’s appeared on the other side of the continent shows how connected the natural world is. Only by creating more bigger, better and connected habitats for wildlife will we be able to halt the alarming decline in species loss and encourage more species to return here. We look forward to continuing to follow Vigo’s journey and seeing more species return to our landscape in the future.”
Flysch-Vigo reappeared during the 2023 reintroduction period when an almost adult Bearded Vulture visited the release site of Pro Bartgeier close to Melchsee-Frutt in the Swiss Alps, where Bearded Vultures are still being released for conservation purposes. This site is crucial for expanding the genetic diversity and population of Alpine Bearded Vultures eastwards. It's part of a successful reintroduction project that started in the 1970s with a captive breeding programme aimed at releasing birds into the wild.
During her unexpected visit to the release site, Flysch-Vigo displayed a social side, engaging with two newly reintroduced young vultures, Obwaldera and Marco. She joined Obwaldera with food, and they ate side by side. However, it remains uncertain whether Flysch-Vigo intentionally shared her meal or if Obwaldera simply helped himself. Days later, Fredueli, a five-year-old Bearded Vulture, arrived. They sat peacefully together for about half an hour before Fredueli suddenly attacked, chasing Flysch-Vigo away. The next morning, a lone feather marked the site of their encounter, which once again led to her identification following a genetic analysis.
The Bearded Vulture is one of Europe's most monitored species, thanks to the International Bearded Vulture Monitoring Network (IBM), which records hundreds of observations annually through field sightings, GPS data, and genetic analyses. Since 1998, genetic monitoring has covered both captive-bred and wild Alpine Bearded Vultures. Human keepers collect blood samples from captive birds, while local IBM partners actively search beneath nests to collect feathers, enabling them to track the wild population and secure genotypes of wild-fledged birds.
Questions remain about Flysch-Vigo's future—will she settle in the Swiss Alps, continue her travels, or return to her native French Alps? Conservationists remain hopeful that ongoing monitoring will identify her once again, ideally with offspring.
Read the full story on The Vulture Conservation Foundation (VCF) website