| Every
summer, Sydney receives an influx of hundreds of international visitors;
of the feathered variety that is. A vast wetland at its doorstep
makes Sydney a popular sea change destination for migratory birds
from as far north as the Arctic. Every year more than 30 different
species of birds take on their incredible journeys to Sydney’s
Towra Point.
The wetlands
of Towra Point Nature Reserve are of national and international
significance. The reserve boasts the largest and most diverse estuarine
wetland complex remaining in the Sydney region. It is also listed
under the RAMSAR Convention on Wetlands of International Importance
and is subject to migratory bird agreements with China and Japan.
Located at
the mouth of the Georges River in Botany Bay, the reserve contains
half of Sydney’s remaining mangroves and the biggest saltmarsh
habitat in the Sydney region. It also includes open woodlands, sandy
beaches and wide expanses of tidal mudflats and seagrass beds.
It is not surprising
then that the area attracts many migratory shorebirds as well as
local waterfowl. The tidal mudflats have one of the highest invertebrate
densities anywhere in Botany Bay and, together with the tidal sand
flats and saltmarshes, they offer a perfect feeding habitat for
several species of waders.
The reserve’s
sandy beaches provide a suitable breeding ground for the endangered
Little Tern (Sterna albifrons), an annual migrant from
Japan. The mangroves, meanwhile, provide an important roosting site
for migratory birds such as the Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus).
To date, 34 migratory birds have been recorded in the reserve.
Long-haul
flights
Many
of the birds found in the reserve migrate from Russia, China and
Japan. The largest of these visitors is the Eastern Curlew (Numenius
madagascariensis), which measures 65 centimetres. It flies
from Siberia to Australia during the Northern hemisphere winter
and feeds on invertebrates that it collects from the mudflats. It
returns to the Siberian summer to breed.
Another visitor
is the Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres), which travels
a daunting 12,000 kilometres down from the Arctic. The Double-banded
Plover (Charadrius bicinctus), meanwhile, has a slightly shorter
flight. It breeds on New Zealand’s South Island and flies
over the Tasman to spend winter in the comparatively warmer weather
of our east coast.
Towra Point
is also used by many non-migratory shorebirds, a number of which
are either vulnerable or threatened. The Pied Oystercatcher (Haematopus
longirostris), for example, can be found here.
A new
view of Towra Point
Towra
Point attracts a great number of bird viewers. To make their visit
more comfortable for both birds and people, the Foundation, with
support from Caltex Refineries, P&O Ports and artist Robyn Collier,
has funded the construction of a viewing platform at the Quibray
Bay. |
