South Arm Important Bird Area
Encyclopedia
The South Arm Important Bird Area is a disjunct tract of mainly intertidal
land on the eastern outskirts of Hobart
, Tasmania
, Australia
.
s, with a collective total area of 46 km2, that together form a diverse and extensive system of wetland
s providing habitat for large numbers of wader
s, or shorebirds. The components include Ralphs Bay
, Mortimer Bay, Calvert's Lagoon, South Arm Neck, Barilla Bay, Orielton Lagoon
, the seaward side of the Sorell Causeway
over Pitt Water, and Pipe Clay Lagoon in Frederick Henry Bay
. These are mainly estuarine
sand and mud flat
s with significant areas of saltmarsh
. The system is the southernmost destination for migratory
waders in the East Asian – Australasian Flyway.
as an Important Bird Area
(IBA) because it supports well over 1% of the global population of Pied Oystercatcher
s. Other waders using the wetlands in relatively large numbers include Red-necked Stint
s, Curlew Sandpiper
s, Far Eastern Curlew
s and Sooty Oystercatcher
s.
sea star Patiriella vivipara. The saltmarsh around Barilla Bay is one of the few Tasmanian localities of the rare Chequered Blue Butterfly (Theclinesthes serpentata).
Intertidal zone
The intertidal zone is the area that is above water at low tide and under water at high tide . This area can include many different types of habitats, with many types of animals like starfish, sea urchins, and some species of coral...
land on the eastern outskirts of Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
, Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Description
The site comprises several separate tidal inletInlet
An inlet is a narrow body of water between islands or leading inland from a larger body of water, often leading to an enclosed body of water, such as a sound, bay, lagoon or marsh. In sea coasts an inlet usually refers to the actual connection between a bay and the ocean and is often called an...
s, with a collective total area of 46 km2, that together form a diverse and extensive system of wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
s providing habitat for large numbers of wader
Wader
Waders, called shorebirds in North America , are members of the order Charadriiformes, excluding the more marine web-footed seabird groups. The latter are the skuas , gulls , terns , skimmers , and auks...
s, or shorebirds. The components include Ralphs Bay
Ralphs Bay
Ralphs Bay is a body of water in south east Tasmania, Australia. It is surrounded by the Tranmere and South Arm peninsulas. Sea access to the bay is from the Derwent River....
, Mortimer Bay, Calvert's Lagoon, South Arm Neck, Barilla Bay, Orielton Lagoon
Orielton Lagoon
Orielton Lagoon is a shallow Lagoon located west of Sorell in Tasmania, Australia.-Description:The lagoon is 1.3 metres deep , and is approximately 2.65 square kilometres in area, separated from Pitt Water by the Sorell Causeway. It is a Ramsar Wetland, providing habitat for migratory shorebirds...
, the seaward side of the Sorell Causeway
Sorell Causeway
The Sorell Causeway is a causeway that stretches from the western side of Midway Point across Orielton Lagoon to Sorell. Together with Mcgees Bridge they connect Sorell with Hobart via the Tasman Highway....
over Pitt Water, and Pipe Clay Lagoon in Frederick Henry Bay
Frederick Henry Bay
Frederick Henry Bay is a body of water in the southeast of Tasmania, Australia. It is located to the east of the South Arm peninsula, and west of the Tasman Peninsula. Towns on the coast of the bay include Lauderdale, Seven Mile Beach, Dodges Ferry and Primrose Sands...
. These are mainly estuarine
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
sand and mud flat
Mudflat
Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats, are coastal wetlands that form when mud is deposited by tides or rivers. They are found in sheltered areas such as bays, bayous, lagoons, and estuaries. Mudflats may be viewed geologically as exposed layers of bay mud, resulting from deposition of...
s with significant areas of saltmarsh
Salt marsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
. The system is the southernmost destination for migratory
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
waders in the East Asian – Australasian Flyway.
Birds
The wetland system has been identified by BirdLife InternationalBirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global Partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources...
as an Important Bird Area
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird Area is an area recognized as being globally important habitat for the conservation of bird populations. Currently there are about 10,000 IBAs worldwide. The program was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife International...
(IBA) because it supports well over 1% of the global population of Pied Oystercatcher
Pied Oystercatcher
The Pied Oystercatcher, Haematopus longirostris, is a species of oystercatcher. It is a wading bird native to Australia and commonly found on its coastline. The similar South Island Pied Oystercatcher The Pied Oystercatcher, Haematopus longirostris, is a species of oystercatcher. It is a wading...
s. Other waders using the wetlands in relatively large numbers include Red-necked Stint
Red-necked Stint
The Red-necked Stint is a small migratory wader.- Description :These birds are among the smallest of waders, very similar to the Little Stint, Calidris minuta, with which they were once considered conspecific...
s, Curlew Sandpiper
Curlew Sandpiper
The Curlew Sandpiper is a small wader that breeds on the tundra of Arctic Siberia. It is strongly migratory, wintering mainly in Africa, but also in south and southeast Asia and in Australasia...
s, Far Eastern Curlew
Far Eastern Curlew
The Far Eastern Curlew or Eastern Curlew is a large shorebird most similar in appearance to the Long-billed Curlew, but slightly larger. It is mostly brown in color, differentiated from other curlews by its plain, unpatterned brown underwing...
s and Sooty Oystercatcher
Sooty Oystercatcher
The Sooty Oystercatcher, Haematopus fuliginosus, is a species of oystercatcher. It is a wading bird native to Australia and commonly found on its coastline. It prefers rocky coastlines, but will occasionally live in estuaries....
s.
Other animals
The Sorell Causeway and the rocky shoreline of Pitt Water have the largest concentration of the endemic viviparousVivipary
Vivipary has two different meanings. In animals, it means development of the embryo inside the body of the mother, eventually leading to live birth, as opposed to laying eggs...
sea star Patiriella vivipara. The saltmarsh around Barilla Bay is one of the few Tasmanian localities of the rare Chequered Blue Butterfly (Theclinesthes serpentata).