Swan Bay (Victoria)
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Swan Bay () is a shallow, 30 km² marine embayment at the eastern end of the Bellarine Peninsula, Victoria, Australia. The township of Queenscliff lies at its southern end, and St Leonards at its northern. It is partly separated from Port Phillip Bay by Swan Island, Duck Island and Edwards Point spit. Most of it is included in the Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park as well as being listed as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention as part of the Port Phillip Bay (Western Shoreline) and Bellarine Peninsula Ramsar site.
Swan Bay contains a variety of ecosystems that make it environmentally important for waterbirds and migratory waders. These include saltmarsh, intertidal mudflats and seagrass beds. Although much of the surrounding land is farmland, some remnant woodland survives in the adjoining Edwards Point Nature Reserve.
Birds of conservation significance for which the bay and its shore are important include the Critically Endangered Orange-bellied Parrot as well as Little Tern, Fairy Tern, Eastern Curlew, Lewin's Rail and White-bellied Sea-eagle. It has also supported over 1% of the Australian population of four wader species: Grey Plover, Pacific Golden Plover, Double-banded Plover and Eastern Curlew.
[edit] References
- Barter, Mark; Campbell, Jeff; & Lane, Brett. (1988). Swan Bay: Conservation of Birds. RAOU Report No.50. Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union: Melbourne.
- Parks Victoria. (2006). Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park Management Plan. Parks Victoria: Melbourne. ISBN 0-7311-8349-5
[edit] External links
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