Engure Lake Nature Park and Latvian Blue Cows
The Engure Lake nature park was established in 1998 and it contains not only Engure Lake, but also the seashore of the Gulf of Riga from Mērsrags to Engure. During the bird migration period, almost every species of bird.
Rare bird species, which are under the threat of extinction, are found here, for example, the corncrake, the eagle-owl, the little crake, the white tailed eagle, the European penduline tit, the great white egret, and others. Mērsrags Piejūras meadows are a very important nesting and rest sites for migrating wading birds and water birds. Three bird observation towers are built on the shores of Engure Lake so that visitors can have a better view of the birds in the lake, the beautiful landscape, and wild animals.
Several paths for walking have been set up – Lāčupītes path in Apšuciems, Plieņciems, Vecupe and Engure paths in Engure and the Orchid Path. More than 30 cattle are pastured in the nature park near the lake – Highlander, Charlotte, and Alpine Grey cows and Konik horses. Latvian Blue cows graze in the littoral meadows in Mērsrags. The blue cow is a very rare species, which is in fact on the brink of extinction.
The State Register of Herds contains information on 89 cows. The Latvian Blue cow is a unique species, its place of origin is considered to be the coast of Kurzeme in Latvia. Initially they belonged only to Liiv farmers but, as the entries of the cattle herd-book show, in the 1930s they were encountered also in Valmiera and Cēsis districts. These cows, typical only found in Latvia, are sturdy and endure cold, rain, and wind.
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