Reserve black lands that there. Where is the Black Earth Biosphere Reserve located? Chernye zemli is a nature reserve in Kalmykia. Interesting facts about the Black Earth Reserve
A testing ground for studying steppe, semi-desert and desert landscapes, as well as the Kalmyk saiga population. The Black Lands is the only man-made desert in Europe, which is the object of study by hundreds of scientists from all over the world.
The reserve was established on June 11, 1990. Its area is 121.9 thousand hectares. The "Black Lands" occupy two different territories from each other. The main section of the Chernye Zemlya nature reserve is located in the Caspian lowland, between the lower reaches of the Kuma and Volga rivers, on the territory of the Yashkul and Chernozemelny regions of Kalmykia. At this site, the protection and restoration of the saiga population is carried out, and at the second site, located on Lake Manych-Gudilo, rare species of waterfowl and near-water birds nest and winter (mute swan, gray goose, red-breasted goose, pink and curly pelicans, bustard, crane - beauty and others).
The name "Black Lands" appeared due to the fact that in winter the steppe here is not covered with snow and the earth remains black. Since ancient times, this territory has been used for winter grazing: “Any, more or less large, cattle-breeding farm of the steppes from the east of the banks of the Volga, from the northeast of the Ergen Mountains, is drawn to the so-called“ Black Lands ”by winter, where it is grouped from all over the steppe a huge number of cattle with all the shepherd's khotons, and in the summer all this cattle disperses to different corners of the steppe ”(I.A. Zhitetsky, XIX century).
The Black Lands Reserve is interesting because it simultaneously protects extremely contrasting habitats - typical Kalmyk steppes and wetlands of the lake.
The symbol of the reserve is the saiga antelope, one of the rarest species of antelopes in Russia. Its numbers in the 1980s dropped sharply due to poaching, but then, thanks to the creation of organizations (the Chernye Zemlya nature reserve, the Sarpinsky, Kharbinsky and Mekletinsky nature reserves) for the protection and restoration of the saiga population, its numbers recovered and was about 150 thousand individuals. However, at present, according to the calculations of the staff of the Chernye Zemli Reserve, the number of saigas is very low and amounts to about 13-15 thousand.
The Yashkul nursery is located in the "Center for Wild Animals of Kalmykia". On its territory there are enclosures with semi-free living saigas. The Yashkul nursery is located in the Yashkul region.
During your stay in the Black Earth Reserve, you can also get acquainted with the extraordinary nature and rare representatives of the flora and fauna of this region.
The vegetation cover of the reserve is represented by desert steppes of hairy feather grass, black wormwood and Lerkh, wormwood, prostrate prostrate, chamomile. The sands in the overgrowing stage are characterized by grate, camel's thorn, potash saltwort, sandy and broom wormwood. There are communities of steppe meadows and solonchaks. On the islands of Manych-Gudilo, steppes with Lessing's feather grass, a synusia of ephemera, are common. Of the rare plants in the Black Lands reserve, there are Taliyev's cornflower, the most beautiful and Zalessky's feather grass, and Schrenk's tulip.
The fauna of the Black Lands consists of typically steppe and semi-desert species. The background reptiles are multi-colored and fast foot-and-mouth disease, round-eared and flirty-tailed, sandy boa, yellow-bellied, lizard snake, steppe viper. Of the mammals, the saiga, corsac, hare, eared hedgehog, small ground squirrel, large, small and upland jerboas are common.
Ia (Strict Nature Reserve)
/ / 45.91144; 45.977713(G) (I)Coordinates : 45°54′41″ s. sh. 45°58′40″ E d. / 45.91144° N sh. 45.977713° E d./ 45.91144; 45.977713(G) (I)
"Black lands"-state natural biosphere reserve, formed on June 11, 1990. The Chernye Zemlya Reserve is the only testing ground in Russia for studying steppe, semi-desert and desert landscapes, as well as for protecting and studying the Kalmyk saiga population. The reserve includes two territories that are different from each other - on the main site "Chernye Zemli" the protection and restoration of the saiga population is carried out, and the site "Lake Manych-Gudilo" is a wetland of international importance, there are nesting and wintering grounds for many rare species of waterfowl and semi-aquatic birds. The latter was created by transferring in May 1996 to the reserve the territory of the former republican reserve "Manych-Gudilo".
The main section of the reserve is located on the Caspian lowland, between the lower reaches of the Kuma and Volga rivers. The total area of the reserve is 121,900 hectares. Plot areas: Black Lands (steppe) - 94,300 ha, Manych-Gudilo (ornithological) - 27,600 ha. The protected zone of the reserve is 91,170 hectares. The reserve received the official UNESCO biosphere status on December 3, 1993.
Geological and geographical conditions
The main part of the territory of the reserve is a slightly undulating low-lying plain with a slight slope to the southeast, with massifs of small-hilly and hilly sands. Located in the northwestern part of the Caspian lowland. The main territory of the reserve is a slightly undulating lowland plain with a general slope to the southeast from 0 to 29 m. The morphostructure of the Caspian lowland contributed to the penetration of numerous Caspian transgressions and the formation of accumulative flat and gently sloping plains. Massifs of hummocky-ridged sands arose as a result of eolian processes during the continental period of relief formation 10-12 thousand years ago, and at a later time in connection with anthropogenic activity and deflation. Zonal vegetation is represented by sagebrush, tyrsik-sagebrush and wormwood-sagebrush communities on brown semi-desert sandy loamy soils in combination with semi-desert solonetzes and with massifs of weakly fixed sands with psammorphic vegetation. Soil-forming rocks are Upper Quaternary marine sediments.
Soils
The soil cover of the main part of the territory of the reserve is represented by zonal brown semi-desert sandy loams and their complexes with semi-desert solonets soils in combination with pockets of deflated sands. Under hydromorphic conditions, meadow-brown meadow leached, carbonate, as well as solonchaks and solonetzes are common. The salinity of these soils depends on the level of occurrence of mineralized groundwater and the nature of parent rocks. The type of soil salinization is chloride-sulfate and chloride.
The shores of reservoirs and the islands of the Manych-Gudilo site are composed of clays. The soil cover is represented by southern chernozems.
Climate
The climate of the main cluster is sharply continental: summers are hot and dry, winters are usually snowless. The average temperature in January is −6.5ºС, in July +24.5ºС degrees. The minimum temperature in January is -35ºС, the maximum temperature in July is +42ºС. The name "Chernye Zemlya" is by no means associated with the color of the soil (it is light brown), but with the constant winter snowlessness. This area has been used for winter grazing since ancient times.
Unlike the main site, the climate of the Manych-Gudilo ornithological cluster is temperate continental. Winter is predominantly cloudy, moderately cold, and relatively snowy. Summers are warm and very warm, partly cloudy. Primanychie is characterized by a stable manifestation of not only arid, but also dry wind-arid weather. The average air temperature in spring is +7-9°С, in summer +21-24°С, in autumn +7-1°С, in winter -8-9°С. The average annual temperature is around +8-9°С. The amount of precipitation ranges from 300 to 400 mm. East, southeast, less often westerly winds prevail. Full freeze-up on Lake Manych-Gudilo is not observed annually (once every three years) in December. Ice breaking is observed at the end of February, at the beginning of March. Temporary appearance of ice fields (2-7 days) can be observed in November.
Flora and fauna
The vegetation cover of the reserve is represented by desert steppes of feather grass, black wormwood and Lerkh, wormwood, prostrate prutnyak, chamomile. The sands in the overgrowing stage are characterized by grate, camel's thorn, potash saltwort, sandy and broom wormwood. There are communities of steppe meadows, solonchaks. On the islands of Manych-Gudilo, steppes with Lessing's feather grass, a synusia of ephemera, are common. Of the rare plants in the Black Lands reserve, there are Taliev's cornflower, the most beautiful and Zalessky's feather grass, and Schrenk's tulip.
The fauna of the Black Lands consists of typically steppe and semi-desert species. The background reptiles are multi-colored and fast foot-and-mouth disease, round-eared and flirty-tailed, sandy boa, yellow-bellied snake, lizard snake, steppe viper. Of the mammals, the common saiga, hare, eared hedgehog, small ground squirrel, large and small jerboas. Less common are the steppe mouse , the primrose , and the upland jerboa . From predatory mammals - corsac fox, light polecat, bandaging. In recent years, the number of wolves has increased.
Nesting and wintering grounds for many rare species of waterfowl and semiaquatic birds (mute swan, gray goose, red-breasted goose, pink and curly pelicans, mallard, pintail, gray duck, shoveler, red-headed pochard, crested duck and many others) are protected by the ornithological branch of the reserve.
There are also protected desert-steppe species - bustard, little bustard, several species of larks, demoiselle crane, a number of birds of prey - steppe eagle, long-legged buzzard.
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Notes
Links
- www.oopt.info/cherzem/physgeo.html
An excerpt characterizing the Black Lands (reserve)
Entering the field under the French shots, the excited and brave Baggovut, not realizing whether his intervention now was useful or useless, and with one division, went straight and led his troops under the shots. Danger, cannonballs, bullets were just what he needed in his angry mood. One of the first bullets killed him, the next bullets killed many soldiers. And his division stood for some time useless under fire.Meanwhile, another column was supposed to attack the French from the front, but Kutuzov was with this column. He knew well that nothing but confusion would come out of this battle, which had begun against his will, and, as far as it was in his power, held back the troops. He didn't move.
Kutuzov silently rode on his gray horse, lazily responding to proposals to attack.
“You have everything on your tongue to attack, but you don’t see that we don’t know how to make complex maneuvers,” he said to Miloradovich, who was asking to come forward.
- They didn’t know how to take Murat alive in the morning and arrive on time at the place: now there’s nothing to do! he replied to another.
When Kutuzov was informed that in the rear of the French, where, according to the reports of the Cossacks, there had been no one before, there were now two battalions of Poles, he glanced back at Yermolov (he had not spoken to him since yesterday).
- Here they ask for an offensive, they offer various projects, but as soon as you get down to business, nothing is ready, and the warned enemy takes his measures.
Yermolov screwed up his eyes and smiled slightly when he heard these words. He realized that the storm had passed for him and that Kutuzov would confine himself to this hint.
“He’s amused at my expense,” Yermolov said quietly, pushing Raevsky, who was standing beside him, with his knee.
Shortly thereafter, Yermolov moved forward to Kutuzov and respectfully reported:
“Time has not been lost, Your Grace, the enemy has not left. If you order to attack? And then the guards will not see the smoke.
Kutuzov did not say anything, but when he was informed that Murat's troops were retreating, he ordered an offensive; but every hundred steps he stopped for three-quarters of an hour.
The whole battle consisted only in what the Cossacks of Orlov Denisov did; the rest of the troops only lost a few hundred people in vain.
As a result of this battle, Kutuzov received a diamond badge, Bennigsen also received diamonds and a hundred thousand rubles, others, according to their ranks, also received a lot of pleasant things, and after this battle, new changes were made in the headquarters.
“This is how we always do it, everything is upside down!” - Russian officers and generals said after the Battle of Tarutino, - just like they say now, making it feel that someone stupid is doing it upside down, but we would not have done it that way. But people who say this either do not know the business they are talking about, or deliberately deceive themselves. Every battle - Tarutino, Borodino, Austerlitz - everything is not carried out in the way that its stewards intended. This is an essential condition.
An innumerable number of free forces (for nowhere is a man more free than in a battle where life and death are at stake) influence the direction of the battle, and this direction can never be known in advance and never coincide with the direction of any one force.
If many, simultaneously and diversely directed forces act on some body, then the direction of movement of this body cannot coincide with any of the forces; but there will always be an average, shortest direction, that which in mechanics is expressed by the diagonal of the parallelogram of forces.
If in the descriptions of historians, especially French ones, we find that their wars and battles are carried out according to a predetermined plan, then the only conclusion that we can draw from this is that these descriptions are not correct.
The Tarutino battle, obviously, did not achieve the goal that Tol had in mind: to bring the troops into action in order, according to the disposition, and the one that Count Orlov could have had; capture Murat, or the goal of instantly exterminating the entire corps, which Benigsen and other persons could have, or the goals of an officer who wanted to get into business and distinguish himself, or a Cossack who wanted to get more booty than he got, etc. But , if the goal was what actually happened, and what was then a common desire for all Russian people (the expulsion of the French from Russia and the extermination of their army), then it will be completely clear that the Battle of Tarutino, precisely because of its incongruities, was the very , which was needed during that period of the campaign. It is difficult and impossible to think of any outcome of this battle more expedient than the one that it had. With the least exertion, with the greatest confusion and with the most insignificant loss, the greatest results in the entire campaign were obtained, the transition from retreat to attack was made, the weakness of the French was exposed, and that impetus was given, which was only expected by the Napoleonic army to start the flight.
Napoleon enters Moscow after a brilliant victory de la Moskowa; there can be no doubt about victory, since the battlefield remains with the French. The Russians retreat and give up the capital. Moscow, filled with provisions, weapons, shells and untold riches, is in the hands of Napoleon. The Russian army, twice as weak as the French, does not make a single attempt to attack for a month. Napoleon's position is the most brilliant. In order to fall on the remnants of the Russian army with double strength and exterminate it, in order to negotiate a favorable peace or, in case of refusal, to make a threatening movement on Petersburg, in order even, in case of failure, to return to Smolensk or Vilna , or stay in Moscow - in order, in a word, to keep the brilliant position in which the French army was at that time, it would seem that no special genius is needed. To do this, it was necessary to do the simplest and easiest thing: to prevent the troops from plundering, to prepare winter clothes, which would be enough in Moscow for the entire army, and to correctly collect provisions for the entire army that were in Moscow for more than six months (according to French historians). Napoleon, the most brilliant of geniuses and having the power to direct the army, historians say, did nothing of the sort.
Not only did he not do any of this, but, on the contrary, he used his power to choose from all the paths of activity presented to him that which was most stupid and pernicious of all. Of all that Napoleon could do: spend the winter in Moscow, go to St. Petersburg, go to Nizhny Novgorod, go back, north or south, the way that Kutuzov went later - well, whatever you think up is more stupid and more pernicious than what he did Napoleon, that is, to remain in Moscow until October, leaving the troops to plunder the city, then, hesitating whether to leave or not to leave the garrison, leave Moscow, approach Kutuzov, do not start fighting, go to the right, reach Maly Yaroslavets, again without experiencing the chance to break through , to go not along the road along which Kutuzov went, but to go back to Mozhaisk and along the devastated Smolensk road - nothing could be more stupid than this, more detrimental to the army, as the consequences showed. Let the most skillful strategists come up with, imagining that Napoleon's goal was to destroy his army, come up with another series of actions that would, with the same certainty and independence from everything that the Russian troops undertake, would completely destroy the whole French army, like what Napoleon did.
The brilliant Napoleon did it. But to say that Napoleon destroyed his army because he wanted it, or because he was very stupid, would be just as unfair as to say that Napoleon brought his troops to Moscow because he wanted it, and because that he was very smart and brilliant.
In both cases, his personal activity, which had no more power than the personal activity of each soldier, only coincided with the laws according to which the phenomenon took place.
Quite falsely (only because the consequences did not justify the activities of Napoleon) historians present to us the strength of Napoleon weakened in Moscow. He, just as before, as after, in the 13th year, used all his skill and strength to do the best for himself and his army. Napoleon's activity during this time is no less amazing than in Egypt, in Italy, in Austria and in Prussia. We do not know correctly about the extent to which the genius of Napoleon was real in Egypt, where forty centuries looked at his greatness, because all these great feats are described to us only by the French. We cannot correctly judge his genius in Austria and Prussia, since information about his activities there must be drawn from French and German sources; and the incomprehensible surrender of corps without battles and fortresses without siege should incline the Germans to recognize genius as the only explanation for the war that was waged in Germany. But there is no reason for us to recognize his genius in order to hide our shame, thank God. We have paid to have the right to simply and directly look at the matter, and we will not cede this right.
In the Kalmyk steppes, a region that can hardly be called comfortable for wildlife, there is reserve "Chernye zemli". This is one of the youngest nature reserves, created to protect and replenish the population of rare representatives of flora and fauna, in particular the saiga and the unique tulip. Also, the reserve is interesting in that it consists of two different purpose areas, ornithological and steppe, significantly distant from each other.
I will tell you about this little-known corner of life in the desert region, about its animal and plant inhabitants, the main attractions, and also about why the reserve was called the Black Lands.
Where is the Black Earth Reserve located?
The State Natural Biosphere Reserve "Chernye Zemlya" is located at the address: Republic of Kalmykia, Chernozemelsky district, Komsomolsky village, Nekrasov street, 31. Phone +78474391254.
How to get there
The village of Komsomolsky, where the administration of the reserve is located, can be reached by car. To do this, you need to move along the P216 highway, from in an easterly direction, from the side of Astrakhan - in a western direction. In the village of Yashkul, turn south.
In order to visit the ornithological site, it is necessary to move along the P216 highway from Elista to the southwest, from to the northeast. In the village of Divnoye, turn towards Manychskoye and drive to the village of Yashalta.
visit
A visit to the territory of the Black Lands reserve is allowed subject to agreement with the administration. To do this, you must apply no later than two weeks before the date of the visit with a written application or by e-mail.
Travelers can visit the following ecological routes:
- "Birds of Lake Manych Gudilo". Duration 11 kilometers, designed for 3.5 hours. Available from April to October, the most successful season is April-May. Excursion to the ornithological site of the reserve. During the route, travelers get acquainted with the natural habitat of the birds of the reserve. They observe such representatives of the avifauna as pink pelicans, spoonbills, loaves, red-breasted gooses, lesser white-fronted gooses. In addition, there is a large settlement of marmots on the territory of the site. One of the main attractions of the reserve is the Schrenk tulip, which blooms in the spring.
- "The path of the saiga". Duration 12 kilometers, designed for four hours. Available all year round except May, when the saiga's offspring are born. The route passes through flat terrain. On the way, visitors observe the steppe vegetation. In the dune sand blowouts, traces of ancient burials of various cultures of the 16th-4th centuries can be observed. BC. On the route you can meet various representatives of fauna, such as fox, hare, corsac. There is a high chance of seeing a saiga. In addition, numerous rodents are observed: hamster, vole, gerbil. Also, travelers meet many representatives of birds: larks, cranes, steppe eagles, swallows, starlings. Tourists will also visit the visitor center, where they will receive information about the reserve, its history, inhabitants, as well as research and educational work.
Pelicans on Lake Manych Gudilo.
Animals and plants of the Black Lands Reserve
Flora
Plants of the reserve are represented by 291 species. Characteristic representatives are feather grass, wormwood, prostrate prostrate, camel thorn, grate, chamomile, potash saltwort.
One of the interesting representatives is Parmelia wandering, a type of lichen. This plant was used in traditional Kalmyk medicine as an anti-inflammatory, hemostatic and bactericidal agent.
In total, 13 species of protected plants grow on the territory of the reserve, including Schrenk's tulip, dwarf and leathery iris, Korzhinsky licorice, crimson larkspur and Sarmatian belvalia.
Tulip Schrenk on the ornithological site of the reserve during flowering.
Fauna
The following representatives of the animal world are observed on the territory of the reserve:
- fish - 22 species;
- amphibians - three species;
- reptiles - 12 species;
- mammals - 36 species;
- birds - 245 species.
There are a large number of rodents: ground squirrel, marmot, jerboa, tarbagan, hamster, gerbil, vole. In addition, common hare, white-breasted and eared hedgehog, white-toothed, muskrat. Representatives of predators: wolf, corsac, fox, marten, weasel, ferret. There are also wild boar, badger, raccoon dog.
are guarded: 15 species of nesting birds, including pink and curly pelican, steppe eagle, white-tailed eagle and demoiselle crane.
saigas at a watering place, a symbol of the reserve and one of the most protected inhabitants.
Interesting facts about the Black Earth Reserve
- Interesting origin the names of the reserve. Before its creation, a group of scientists studied satellite images of the territory. By coincidence, it was at that time that there was no snow on the ground, which was in particular contrast with the snowy surrounding areas. Over time, the situation with snow ceased to differ from other places, but the name stuck.
- saiga is a symbol and one of the most protected animals of the reserve. At one time they were on the verge of extinction. All the “fault” of saigas is in their horns, which were highly valued in China as a raw material for medicines, which especially attracted poachers. After the saigas were taken under protection, their numbers began to increase. At the moment, there are about 15 thousand of them, which is still considered insufficient for the full existence of the population.
- Lake Manych Gudilo, on the banks of which the ornithological section of the reserve is located, has a salty composition of water, which allows us to speak of its marine origin.
Reserve "Chernye zemli" - video
Blooming tulip steppe and saigas in the Black Earth reserve. The Black Lands is the only man-made desert in the world, which is the object of study by hundreds of scientists from all over the world.
I am impressed with visiting this nature reserve. I was pleased that we managed to visit both sites, and especially that we managed to catch the flowering of tulips. Unfortunately, when visiting the steppe area, we did not manage to see saigas, although there was something to see anyway.
It was an unusual, even a little strange adventure. Spend the night in the reserve, when the steppe stretches around you for many tens of kilometers, and then patrol the territory together with inspectors from early morning. You can forget about the Internet, even there was no mobile connection. Completely different world, wild nature. Eagles, little bustards, cranes and dots flying along the horizon are saigas.
Morning at the Atsan-Khuduk cordon. When I travel, I always take pictures of the view from the window. This time he was like that. Filmed over the net. We spent the night in a trailer. At first, this prospect scared me. But it turned out that this is not scary at all, but quite even comfortable. Soft mattresses, fresh linens. It looks like a train compartment, only a little more spacious. Slept great! The lack of mobile communications and the Internet contributed :)
Meet Yasha. He is two years old, a camel in his prime. Funny and curious. Ready to be friends with everything that is not nailed down. With joy approaches people and longs for communication. You can’t explain to Yasha that jumping half a ton is somewhat frightening. He wonders who you are and what you are doing here. Maybe you want to play or something else?
Carmelita is Yasha's mother. But animals have a short memory, the main thing is procreation. Yasha forgot that this is his mother, for him she is just a camel.
It turns out that eco-tourism is quite popular. In the summer, yurts are set up for tourists. In Kalmykia they are called "kibitki". Round base, wooden deck, slatted frame and felt walls. The assembly process takes about an hour, a maximum of two.
Two dogs live at the cordon: Umka and Chapa. Try to figure out who is who.
It is immediately clear that this is Chapa, and the white one is Umka. Nicknames suit them very well.
The area of the reserve is about 120 thousand hectares. We are going to the steppe part, there is also an ornithological site. Inspectors start their work early in the morning every day. They patrol the territory and catch poachers.
Our transport for the next day is the legendary "loaf". Indestructible UAZ, I went to this as a child. Straight nostalgia.
Here's a riddle for you: what do the inspectors do? for what?
The first find is a nest. Just on the ground in the steppe. During the day we saw a few more, but they were all on a hill. There are no trees, so the birds make nests on observation towers, gates, on everything that is more or less suitable for arrangement.
These are not holes, these are minks (c) The whole steppe is pitted. Either gophers or voles.
Watchpoint. Vitaly goes upstairs and, armed with binoculars, inspects the territory.
Vitaly's partner is Eugene. His middle name is Mingyan. This is such a hero in the Kalmyk epic. Many Kalmyks have two names, one is Kalmyk, the other is Russian. Firstly, for ease of communication, and secondly, because of beliefs. If a child is sick in childhood, parents go to khurul, where they say to give a different name.
Well. Near the foundation of some building. Once upon a time, cattle were brought here for the winter. Now almost nothing remains of the buildings. In the near future it is planned to dismantle all this to the ground, to fill up the pit. And then the animals fail, you have to save them.
Somewhere on the horizon saigas rush about. After traveling around Kalmykia, I understood the expression "run like a saiga". They are always on the move, never stand still. Life credo "run, run, run, run" :)
Saiga are not allowed closer than a kilometer. So let's take pictures of the flowers. This is a Bieberstein tulip. Yellow, modest and graceful. In the next photo, the Schrenk tulip. Both are listed in the Red Book.
In addition to tulips, irises grow in the steppe. Such delicate, such quivering flowers.
Beast machine. The miracle of Soviet industry. So many years serving faithfully.
An episode from the life of the expedition :)
And then camels! Lot!!! They graze on their own. You come closer, they run away. But we have gained confidence
Cranes. Wild. So close!
Desktop picture :)
Sheeps. Not wild. But they don't make contact. I had to carry out an operation around the environment and arrange a photo hunt for them.
We returned to the cordon. Yasha meets. Came up to the car and started licking the window!)))))
It became interesting where such a gloomy name came from - BLACK EARTH. I asked the guys. They say that in winter there is little snow, from space the reserve looks like a black spot. By the way, on the left of the emblem is a saiga. Appearance is rather awkward. The fact is that the animal has long nostrils pointing down. They serve as a heat exchange regulator and a kind of filter. In winter, the inhaled air heats up, and in summer, such nasal passages prevent dust from entering the lungs. Every year the number of these rare animals is reduced by 20%. Saigas are protected and listed in the Red Book.
Pay attention to the nest on the arch. In the distance are the houses where the inspectors live. They work on a rotational basis, week after week. Get up early every day and hit the road. In summer - forty-degree heat, in winter frost down to -40°C. Perhaps this is a calling. We talked with Vitaly and Evgeny, both of them have specialized education. Eugene is an ecologist, he says that he is the only one from the group who went to work in his profession. Not everyone is ready to wander around the steppe for 13 thousand rubles. In free weeks, of course, you can find a part-time job, but it doesn’t always work out. The guys made an impression on me. Laconic, responsive, ready to come to the rescue. There are few of them now.
The sunset in the steppe is beautiful. Farewell show of the day. Many thanks to the administration of the reserve for the warm welcome, as well as personally to Vitaly and Evgeny.
Our travel partners
Kalmykia is in many ways a unique region, a territory of endless steppes, deserts and semi-deserts, with an area (75.6 thousand sq. km.) larger than many European states. In order to study and protect the unique nature in 1990 on the territory of the Republic of Kalmykia, the only such test site in Russia was established - the State Natural Biosphere Reserve "Chernye Zemli".
Traveling through the steppe expanses of the Black Lands is an almost instant immersion in the world of wildlife.
At the entrance to specially protected areas, you can meet groups of peacefully grazing camels.
Camels are not representatives of wildlife, they are not allowed in protected areas, performing rather agricultural functions, but these charming guys bring a lot of joy to guests and travelers, especially with children.
Only at first glance the steppes seem monotonous, after a few hours of walking around the reserve you understand that the landscape is constantly changing, life around is in full swing. This is especially felt in the spring - the vegetation blooms, and many steppe inhabitants have offspring.
The cubs are very curious, they enthusiastically meet a slightly tired mother returning to the hole in the evenings and are happy to explore the world around them.
Above the emerald fields of flowering feather grass, steppe eagles circle in search of prey (usually small rodents).
Steppe eagles usually build nests on the ground or low bushes, so if you are careful, in the seemingly lifeless steppe, you can observe the family life of this bird of prey.
If you are lucky enough to find a nest, it is better to look from afar, using binoculars or a telephoto lens, it is important not to disturb the birds in any way.
In addition to the steppe eagles, among the large birds of prey in the reserve, there are black vultures and griffon vultures listed in the Red Book. These are typical scavengers, often they gather in large groups, which looks a little scary. Their permanent habitat is the Caucasus, they fly to Kalmykia “on tour”, in spring and summer.
The black vulture belongs to the hawk family, it is the largest bird in Russia and one of the largest birds in the world fauna: the wingspan of the vulture reaches three meters.
Walking through the steppe in the early morning, you can hear loud, melodic trills, but it is extremely difficult to notice their performers. These are field larks: small, slightly larger than a sparrow, birds. Skylarks choose flat, open spaces for building nests, but due to their protective coloration, they are almost invisible among steppe grasses. Within a couple of weeks after birth, the chicks are completely independent, leave the nest and learn to get their own food.
Graceful demoiselle cranes, the smallest and third largest representatives of the crane family in the world, are a kind of living attraction of the reserve.
This romantic couple is the inhabitants of the Kalmyk steppe in the vicinity of the Atsan-Khuduk cordon.
Demoiselle cranes are monogamous, that is, they choose partners for themselves once and for life, only if courtship does not bring offspring, the crane "marriage" can break up.
But this couple with family life is all right.
Also, in the vicinity of the cordon, small and nimble Wheatears live in abundance.
At the end of May, not far from the cordon, in the middle of the bare steppe, the inspector found ... a small kitten. The kitten is not simple, it is a wild steppe cat, whose family died, and the kitten was left alone.
The kitten is a little over a week old, but soon it will turn into a real steppe predator.
But the main living symbol of the Black Lands is the saiga, even the logo of the reserve is a stylized image of the head of a saiga. These antelopes, coevals of mammoths, known for their original appearance - a muzzle with a nose resembling a trunk - are endangered, although in recent years, thanks to active protective actions, the number of livestock has increased.
The “trunk” of the saiga is functional, helping to survive both in hot summers, playing the role of a kind of filter in summer sandstorms, and in harsh winters – the icy steppe air, passing through the nasal passage, has time to warm up.
In May, calving takes place in the reserve - a mass birth of young saiga. Young saigas already 3-4 days after birth stand well on their feet, and a week later they run excellently, but they prefer to spend the first days of life lying on the ground, remaining inconspicuous among the steppe vegetation, rising only at the call of their mother.
In the early morning hours, saiga females roam the steppe and call their saigas. A real miracle is to watch the walks of saigas in the wild steppes, and go unnoticed by these cautious animals.
You have to watch the saigas literally with bated breath: one awkward movement, a slight rustle, and the saiga immediately takes off, in a matter of seconds, speeding up to 80 km/h!
And this female with a mysterious “smile” defiled along the sandy embankment, as if on a catwalk, and all the males followed her with their eyes; it was the first time I had a chance to observe a saiga so closely - it looks like she also posed.
The saiga is a herd animal, and in the spring in the verdant steppes of Kalmykia, one can observe an amazing phenomenon - the migration of herds of saigas, numbering hundreds, and sometimes thousands of individuals of all ages.
In addition to the steppes, the reserve includes water areas, as well as deserts and semi-deserts.
You should move carefully along the reserved paths - for example, a scarab can fuss on a sandy area, carried away by its, no doubt, titanic work.
Nimble round-headed lizards of the Agam family run among the dunes.
In the water areas there are nesting sites for many rare species of waterfowl and near-water birds.
In the thickets of coastal plants, you can see flocks of buntings and black-breasted sparrows.
Red herons often fly overhead.
Another interesting meeting is the stilt walker. The bird is easily recognizable by its unusual bright pink legs. Of all the waders, the stilt has the longest legs - in search of food, the bird wanders through shallow water and catches mollusks and small aquatic insects with a long thin beak.
Of course, to appreciate all the biodiversity and uniqueness of the Kalmyk steppes, a few days, weeks, or even months will not be enough. But the reserve, in addition to security and scientific work, carries out active educational and excursion activities, and even in a few hours you can immerse yourself in the wild, watch flying cranes, and, if you're lucky, meet a herd of saigas running past - for such moments it is worth visiting hospitable Kalmykia .