We saw a whole colony in the National Park in Graubuenden around the Fuorn Valley. And almost in every trip to Grimsel and Furka pass. They dont really hang out near the humans, but if you have keen eyes, you will will see them suddenly bobbing up and down from behind boulders. I remember one sitting and looking at cars for full 10 minutes near Furka. I have seen people walk past them without noticing anything till we sushed them and asked them to look. Keep your eyes and ears open (and mouth shut) and go to areas where they are known to live.
Squirrels and foxes are my most viewed animal in this country, both mainly in the city tho, foxes in the evening and squirrels mostly in the morning and an occasional hedgehog sniffing around in the garden, and of course the daily amount of hunting birds in the sky (of which i have no clue about the species)
Red and black squirrels, foxes, badgers, pine martins and a resident hedgehog all in our garden, several deer and wild boar in the forest up the road from us and chamois in the nature reserve.
I was just saying to my wife this weekend that its unusual that I have not seen a hedgehog in all my time in Switzerland. In the mornings and at night I hear some rustlings from the garden from the bedroom window but never seen one in our seven years there.
I know in the UK it was reported that there has been a recent decline in their numbers but haven't heard anything similar for mainland Europe.
There's a huge population of birds of prey round us, Red Kites I presume. Also seen deer, foxes, squirrels and owls in the forest behind us, and we've had a hedgehog visit our terrace once or twice.
Someone recently photographed a lynx up in the Fribourg pre-alpes in the Cousimbert/La Berra region and a wolf has been spotted around Gruyere and Bulle.
To the EF people who want to see wild marmots - go to the Rhone Gletscher !!
We go there almost every year, and every time we see wild marmots.
Anyhow, on the way to the glacier there is a marmot park you can stop at and try to spot them, but at the glacier itself is always where we see them. They live off the side of the car parking lot, and you can see them sunbathing and eating. Sometimes they'll even come up to you.
Best time to see hedgehogs is at night. We'd always see them around 10-11pm when taking the dogs out to the park to go pee.
We live close, there are plenty of red kite here too. Like 30-50 flying around.
A few foxes.
Saw a dead pine martens or something similar once, and a dead badger (both roadkills unfortunately).
Seen some deers rarely, never any wild boar.
A few weird bugs encounters, like the 5-6cm grasshopper, the 5-6cm scarab, etc...
Unfortunately, when I walk around forest, even being discreet, etc... I rarely spot any animals (beside the birds). I do in other countries! There aren't so many around.
Since OP mentioned birds, despite the thread title (mods!), I've been thrilled to see Lammergeiers (bone cracking vultures) twice close to lac Léman. They're huge! I've also seen a pair of wallcreepers building their nest - very cute*
* But that was in Georgia, close to the border with Russia.
Up on the Jura we have lots of Chamois, birds of prey etc - so of which make quite scary noises at night.
The best sighting that a friend had was coming face to face with a Lynx early one morning - obviously word got around and the next day there were a load of photographers hoping for a view but the lynx did not appear - I sometimes go with her and was so cross that I missed the opportunity to view such a wonderful creature...
I hadn't even known that lynx were found in CH, just had read about it..
I saw the same lynx 2 days in a row at dawn, in central Alaska. Beautiful..
Around here, (just outside of Luzern), you can go for a walk at this time of night and usually see fox, badgers, hedgehogs, and martens, all hanging out in and around the woods.
We often see deer from our windows as well as many red kites and buzzards and on recent walks locally we've been lucky enough to see a tawny owl, a couple of peregrine falcon hunting and also a beaver in one of the wetland/nature reserve areas along side the Aare.
Interesting. I photograph wildlife large and small, but owls, though I hear them almost every night around where I live, both tawny and long-eared, I have yet to see one day or night. If you would like to PM me where you have seen them I'd be delighted.
I love them too, especially after spending a month in Banff and Jasper in Canada last year!
Here, I often see deers in the forest of Rosenberg, and Rigi when hiking.
When riding trains, if you are curious like me always looking out from the window, often you can see foxes in the fields and deers too.
Brown and black squirrels are spotted in my neighborhood.
But the most exciting time was seeing a fox finding food just two houses next to ours while my partner and I were taking a walk after dinner! It was just 2 steps away from us! It took a look at us but continued looking for food, and we slowly walked away not to disturb it