Botanical tours in the Kokshetau park.

“Now more than ever do I realize that I will never be content with a sedentary life, that I will always be haunted by thoughts of a sun-drenched elsewhere” 

Isabelle Eberhardt, «The Nomad: The Diaries of Isabelle Eberhardt».

Hiking tour Kokshetau park.

The wildlife of Kokshetau State National Natural Park is very rich. The fauna of vertebrates totals 283 species. The animal world is a rare combination of representatives of different latitudes. Typical species of animals from the Siberian taiga (elk, lynx, pine marten, white hare, ermine) live next to the inhabitants of the southern steppes and semi-deserts of fox, ground squirrel, hare, steppe polecat, and groundhog. In the tract Ormandу-Bulak deer were brought from East Kazakhstan, which are well acclimatized here.
There are also capercaillie, ermine, badger, wood mouse, roe deer, and wolf. Water rats and muskrats live on rivers, lakes and swamp complexes. Of the ungulates in the Kokshetau park, Siberian roe deer, elk, and wild boar live. In 1983, a deer was introduced to the park, which acclimatized well.
Of the predators, there are a wolf, a fox, a corsac, a badger, an ermine, a weasel, a steppe polecat, a pine marten, a lynx. In recent years, a raccoon dog has penetrated from the northern regions. In the forest, the hare is common, along the forest edges is the hare.
Among rodents, a squirrel, a red-cheeked gopher, a large jerboa, an ordinary hamster, a vole, mice, and rats are characteristic. There are common and eared hedgehogs, bats. The pine marten is included in the Red Book of Kazakhstan.
Of the birds, typical species are rook, magpie, crow, field sparrow, and common kestrel. Of the birds of prey, a saker, a black kite, are characteristic. In the forest, there are large and small spotted woodpecker, thrushes, finch, cuckoo, oriole, black grouse, doves, tits.
Ducks, geese, and swans are common on the lakes, and herons, waders, and wagtails are common on the shores. Of the Red Book species, there are golden eagles, burial eagles, saker, eagle owl, gray crane. From reptiles live fast and viviparous lizards, patterned snake, common and steppe vipers, common already, from amphibians - green toad, grassy and sharp-faced frogs.
Of the fish there are crucian carp, pike, perch, roach, ide, tench, burbot. The fauna of vertebrate animals of the reserve is represented by 283 species. The fauna of invertebrate animals (insects, spiders, ticks, mollusks, worms, etc.) has not yet been fully elucidated. In general, for the forest-steppe, about 1000 species of beetles, 220 species of bugs, 70 species of orthoptera (grasshoppers, crickets, etc.), 64 species of spiders have been found.
Red Book species - dragonfly, grasshoppers, wasp (Vespoidae).

Authority:
Advertising brochure of Kokshetau park. 2002.

Photos
Alexander Petrov.