Andreis (PN) Visitor's Center and Bird life Area

The aviary area is located above the village of Andreis and hosts various species of falcons, kestrels, buzzards, owls, sparrow hawks, a goshawk and a golden eagle. The Visitor's Center contains a display on the Park's Bird life Area, and an ornithological exhibit with examples of different species.

"Park Bird life" and the relations of birds with both their natural environment and Man are the main topics of this Visitor's Center, which hosts an exhibit, a classroom, and a conference/screening room. Attached to the Andreis Visitor's Center is the Park's “Bird life Area” featuring a Bird Shelter.

The bird life exhibit inaugurated in 2001 is extremely interesting and includes a collection of over 200 examples of various species of bird that have adapted to the habitat of both the Park and the entire region as well.

The Andreis Bird life area represents another aspect of the Friuli Dolomiti Alps Natural Park, and features a classroom, a natural sciences laboratory, the Monte Cjavac and Colle di San Daniele nature trails, the Bird Shelter and Re-orientation aviaries for disabled birds, and a veterinary clinic.

The Bird Shelter (Il centro di recupero dell’Avifauna ferita)

Animals that suffer injury or debilitating disease refuse any type of medical attention. Before, during or after treatment, their only reaction is to flee. This makes curing these "patients" extremely difficult.

The value of an injured animal shelter lies more in the educational massage it transmits than the number of animals saved however, and the message helps reduce the causes (almost always the work of humans) of such disability. If up until only a few years ago, injured animals were only stuffed, closed in a cage or sold into permanent captivity, now thanks to structures like the Andreis   Bird Shelter, injured birds are given more of a chance for a dignified continuation of the rest of their lives.

The aviaries consist in two different structures:

-          one is composed of four cages for species of falcon that cannot be returned to their natural habitats;

-          the other is composed of one extremely large cage in which birds treated successfully are released for acclimatisation and exercise before being returned to the wild.

These aviaries are the heart of the Bird Shelter. Most of the resident birds have suffered injuries that preclude their return to freedom in the natural environment. Visitors who pass by the cages with the maximum discretion can observe these aerial predators firsthand.

Visitors must adopt the maximum discretion when approaching the cages, never touch the bars and refrain from alarming the birds in any way because if they are startled into flight they risk further injury.

Here, visitors can see golden eagles, buzzards, peregrine falcons, kestrels, sparrow hawks, goshawks and owls from close up - an opportunity rarely offered in the wild. This experience offers a priceless educational opportunity. By adopting bird-watching technique, visitors will then be able to observe these splendid creatures in their natural environment as they hike the trails.

The release of birds cured of injury into the natural environment is a heart-warming organised publicly on occasion from the aviaries or elsewhere.

The classroom and the natural sciences laboratory are located at the nearby Visitor's Center.

With the use of topic-related dioramas and slide and video projections conducted by naturalist guides and experts, these structures permit groups of visitors to learn more about the natural environment that surrounds them as they walk the Park's trails.

The Veterinary Clinic (ambulatorio veterinario)

The Mount Cjavac Trail (sentiero del monte Cjavac) is clearly marked and described in detail in a guide available at Andreis Town Hall. The trail accessible to anyone can be hiked in around three hours and presents numerous biotopes of the pre-alpine environment.

The Colle San Daniele Trail (sentiero del colle di San Daniele) is indicated primarily for school groups. Shorter in distance than the trail above, this trail provides significant testimony of aspects of nature, woodlands, meadows and architecture

The Andreis Ethnography Museum  (Museo Etnografico di Andreis) provides a summarised illustration of the village's origins and unique characteristics, such as the spontaneous architectural style of its typical houses in stone and wood.