Swan Bay (Victoria)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.[1]
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.[1]
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.[2]
Other birds found in the region include the Australian Pelican, Silver Gull, Royal Spoonbill, Caspian and Crested Terns, White-fronted Chat, Sacred Ibis, Red-necked Stint, Little Pied Cormorant and Pied Oystercatcher.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Parks Victoria. (2006). Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park Management Plan. Parks Victoria: Melbourne. ISBN 0-7311-8349-5
- ^ Barter, Mark; Campbell, Jeff; & Lane, Brett. (1988). Swan Bay: Conservation of Birds. RAOU Report No.50. Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union: Melbourne.
- [1]Swan Bay - Port Phillip Heads National Park (Marine)
- [2]Swan Bay (Birds)
[edit] External links
 |
This Victorian geography article is a stub. You can help by expanding it. |
