Croatia · Dalmatia

Veliko Blato (Pag)

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Veliko blato

Veliko blato, also called Velo blato, is a marsh and ornithological reserve on the southern side of the island of Pag, between Pag town and Povljana. It is one of the island’s three bird reserves and a landscape quite unlike the bare, stony island around it: open water and reed beds in the north, karst with Mediterranean scrub and herbs in the south.

History

The marsh was declared an ornithological reserve in 1988, for the waterbirds that nest, rest and winter here.

Nature

A long list of marsh birds has been recorded here, and many of them nest. Coots, grebes, grey herons, great egrets, bitterns, glossy ibises, ferruginous ducks and spoonbills are among the regular visitors, while gadwall, Montagu’s harrier and calandra lark breed in the reserve. Reeds, sedges and rushes ring the water, and the Italian wall lizard lives among the stones.

Visit

Swimming

No reliable information

Tips

An observation tower at the edge of the marsh, with an information board, lets you watch and photograph the birds without disturbing them. Tickets for a visit are sold by the Povljana tourist board.

Spring and autumn migration are the liveliest times, and early morning and early evening the best hours. Bring binoculars and a long lens, and keep to the tower and the edge of the reserve.