Peaceful calm water extending beyond the horizon, flanked by banks lined with whispering trees, without a trace of humanity – that is what Želivka is about. One of the biggest dams in Central Europe, this reservoir provides drinking water for Prague and other towns and villages. Its large surface, ragged banks and strict protection have opened the door to rare animals. Thus we can spot the sea eagle here, a majestic bird of prey with an enormous wingspan of up to 2.5 metres. They nest in trees near the water along the edges of flooded territories and feed mainly on fish and water birds. In flight they usually catch fish swimming just below the surface weighing approximately 1-2 kilograms. However they are easily able to carry 6 kilograms. Although they can hunt healthy prey they prefer to seek injured or dead animals. Rapacious carp, the only meat eating Czech carp-species, lives in the waters of the dam. It is usually between 40 and 70 centimetres long; astoundingly it can grow to be bigger than 1 metre and weight up to 14 kilograms. The steep banks of the dam boast yet another rarity. Hidden underneath the treetops of ancient pine trees along the banks and due to the occurrence of serpentine rock, grows sandwort. Thanks to the rare fauna species, the pine-forest growing on the serpentine rock around Želivka was listed as a botanically significant area of the Czech Republic, and the entire dam is listed as a Significant European Locality under the Natura 2000 Scheme.