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Overview
From a birding point of view the Agia (or Ayia) Reservoir is undoubtedly the best wetland on Crete. The large areas of open water, extensive reedbeds and surrounding scrubland attract many species of interest during the breeding season and on passage.
Birds
Notable Species
Various waders and herons including Squacco Heron and Little Bittern occur on passage and this site has regular crakes of three species, all three marsh terns and Moustached Warbler.
Rarities
More rarely a Bluethroat, White Pelican and Black Stork in autumn 2008. Viewing the distant White Mountains [Lefki Ori] from the pump station, you may get distant views of Golden Eagle, Lesser Spotted Eagle and Griffon Vulture.
Checklist
Birds you can see here include:
Great Crested Grebe Little Grebe, Pygmy Cormorant, Cormorant, Little Bittern, Black-crowned Night Heron, Squacco Heron, Great White Egret, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Purple Heron, Mute Swan, Mallard, Garganey, Gadwall, Tufted Duck, Northern Shoveler, Ferruginous Duck, Teal, Pochard, Pintail, Wigeon, Honey Buzzard, Osprey, Booted Eagle, Short-toed Eagle, Western Marsh Harrier, Hen Harrier, Pallid Harrier, Black Kite, Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel, Eleonora's Falcon, Peregrine Falcon, Sparrowhawk, Water Rail, Spotted Crake, Little Crake, Baillon's Crake, Common Snipe, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Black-winged Stilt, Collared Pratincole, Temminck's Stint, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Ruff, Common Redshank, Common Greenshank, Wood Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper, Northern Lapwing, Yellow-legged Gull, Whiskered Tern, Black Tern, White-winged Black Tern, Common Swift, Alpine Swift, Crested Lark, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, Red-rumped Swallow, Northern House Martin, Common Kingfisher, Yellow Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, White Wagtail, Common Nightingale, European Stonechat, Eurasian Wryneck, Cetti's Warbler, Moustached Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Eurasian Reed Warbler, Great Reed Warbler, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Sardinian Warbler, Willow Warbler, Common Chiffchaff, Spotted Flycatcher, Great Tit, Eurasian Golden Oriole, Hooded Crow, Eurasian Blackbird, Italian Sparrow, Chaffinch, European Serin, European Greenfinch, European Goldfinch, Common Starling, Water Pipit, European Stonechat, Great Tit, Blue Tit, European Serin
Other Wildlife
Stripe-necked Terrapin Mauremys caspica and Green Treefrog Hyla arborea are common around the Agia Reservoir. Balkan Green Lizard, Dice Snake.
Site Information
History and Use
To do
Areas of Interest
To do
Access and Facilities
Agia Reservoir is situated less than 10km south of Chania (Hania or Xania) on the road to Samaria. Chania has a wide range of accommodation from simple rooms to luxury hotels. Stop at the small village of Agia and park near the church, and explore the eucalyptus woods and reservoir from here.
Contact Details
To do
External Links
To do
Content and images originally posted by Steve http://www.ornithologiki.gr/en/enmain.htm http://www.cretewww.com http://www.freewebs.com/colnsue
Reviews
chriswyeth's review
I have just returned from an October visit to Agia lake and found it to be under development. An esplonade and taverna have been built and a 'noddy' train deposits several dozen visitors regularly. The area where the crakes have been reliably seen in spring has been landscaped. It will be interesting to see how these developments will affect the birding at this top location next spring.
Pros
- Easy access
Cons
- Being developed
