From January to March, faculty members of the Department of Natural Sciences at Baitursynuly University delivered the program “Biodiversity of the Kostanay Region” for senior learners. The course was taught by experienced instructors, including Tatyana Bragina, Olga Borodulina, Gauhar Baubekova, Maria Ruleva, and Sergey Kurlov.
The final session was practice-oriented. Together with Senior Lecturer Maria Ruleva and student birdwatchers Daniil Khristinetsky and Aliya Nazarova, the participants visited Victory Park.
There, they learned practical methods of studying birds in their natural habitat, including the use of mobile applications such as Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab, iNaturalist, and eBird. As a result of their joint work, seven bird species were identified.
The group also discussed the activities of the Kazakhstan Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity and the promotion of citizen science in Kazakhstan.
It is worth noting the high level of interest and engagement among the participants. Many of them regularly feed birds during the winter season, as well as take photographs and record videos.
