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The Lake Hawdon System Important Bird Area comprises an area of covering a series of five coastal lakes in the
The Lake Hawdon System Important Bird Area comprises an area of covering a series of five coastal lakes in the Limestone Coast
The Limestone Coast is a name used since the early twenty-first century for a South Australian government region located in the south east of South Australia which immediately adjoins the continental coastline and the Victorian border. The ...
of South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
. They are the most important of a string of regional lakes occupying swale corridors between modern and historical sand dune
A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, fl ...
s.
Description
TheImportant Bird Area
An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations.
IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...
(IBA) lies between the towns of Robe
A robe is a loose-fitting outer garment. Unlike garments described as capes or cloaks, robes usually have sleeves. The English word ''robe'' derives from Middle English ''robe'' ("garment"), borrowed from Old French ''robe'' ("booty, spoils" ...
and Beachport
Beachport is a small coastal town in the Australian state of South Australia about south-east of the state capital of Adelaide and about north-west of the municipal seat in Millicent, located at the northern end of Rivoli Bay. Beachport has ...
. It includes the following lakes listed in order from north to south - Hawdon, Robe, Eliza, St Clair and George, and the area extending for a distance of inland from each in order to include habitat used by critically endangered orange-bellied parrot
The orange-bellied parrot (''Neophema chrysogaster'') is a small parrot endemic to southern Australia, and one of only three species of parrot that migrate. It was described by John Latham in 1790. A small parrot around long, it exhibits sex ...
s. Characteristics of the lakes are:
* Lake Hawdon – shallow, semi-permanent, brackish lake which is divided into a northern basin measuring and a southern basin measuring with a maximum water depth of about ;
* Lake Robe – much smaller than Lake Hawdon
* Lake Eliza – hypersaline coastal lake with maximum depth of ;
* Lake St Clair – similar to Lake Eliza but more saline
* Lake George – about with maximum depth of ; naturally hypersaline but functions as an estuary with an outlet to the sea.
Criteria for nomination as an IBA
The wetland system was identified byBirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...
as an IBA because it regularly supports over 1% of the world populations of red-necked stint
The red-necked stint (''Calidris ruficollis'') is a small migratory wader. The genus name is from Ancient Greek ''kalidris'' or ''skalidris'', a term used by Aristotle for some grey-coloured waterside birds. The specific ''ruficollis'' is from ...
, and often of sharp-tailed sandpiper
The sharp-tailed sandpiper (''Calidris acuminata'') (but see below) is a small wader.
Taxonomy
A review of data has indicated that this bird should perhaps better be placed into the genus ''Philomachus''
– as ''P. acuminatus'' – which now ...
s, double-banded plover
The double-banded plover (''Charadrius bicinctus''), known as the banded dotterel or pohowera in New Zealand, is a species of bird in the plover family. Two subspecies are recognised: the nominate ''Charadrius bicinctus bicinctus'', which breeds ...
s and banded stilt
The banded stilt (''Cladorhynchus leucocephalus'') is a nomadic wader of the stilt and avocet family, Recurvirostridae, native to Australia. It belongs to the monotypic genus ''Cladorhynchus''. It gets its name from the red-brown breast band fo ...
s. It also provides habitat for orange-bellied parrots, Australasian bittern
The Australasian bittern (''Botaurus poiciloptilus''), also known as the brown bittern or matuku hūrepo, and also nicknamed the "bunyip bird", is a large bird in the heron family Ardeidae. A secretive bird with a distinctive booming call, it is ...
s, rufous bristlebird
The rufous bristlebird (''Dasyornis broadbenti'') is one of three extant species of bristlebirds. It is endemic to Australia where three subspecies have been described from coastal southwestern Western Australia, southeastern South Australia ...
s and striated fieldwren
The striated fieldwren (''Calamanthus fuliginosus'') is a species of bird in the family Acanthizidae, endemic to Australia.
Description
The striated fieldwren is a small bird, 140mm in size. It is light brown and olive-colored, with a white st ...
s. The adjacent beaches and offshore islets, from Cowrtie Island to Baudin Rocks
Baudin Rocks, also previously known as the Godfrey Islands, is a group of islets on the south east coast of in the Australian state of South Australia about North-northwest of Robe. The islet group was discovered and named by Matthew Flinder ...
, sometimes support breeding fairy tern
The fairy tern (''Sternula nereis'') is a small tern which is native to the southwestern Pacific. It is listed as " Vulnerable" by the IUCN and the New Zealand subspecies is " Critically Endangered".
There are three subspecies:
* Australian fai ...
s.
Associated protected areas
While the IBA has no statutory status, it does overlap the followingprotected areas
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...
declared by the South Australian government
The Government of South Australia, also referred to as the South Australian Government, SA Government or more formally, His Majesty’s Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of South Australia. It is modelled o ...
: Beachport Conservation Park
Beachport Conservation Park, formerly the Beachport National Park, is a protected area located in the Limestone Coast of South Australia about north-west of Mount Gambier and immediately north of the township of Beachport.
Land in the conser ...
, Lake Robe Game Reserve
Lake Robe Game Reserve is a protected area located about south of the town of Robe in South Australia. It covers the saline lake, Lake Robe, and some surrounding land and also immediately adjoins the northern boundary of the Little Dip Conser ...
, Lake St Clair Conservation Park and Little Dip Conservation Park
Little Dip Conservation Park is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located in the Limestone Coast about north-west of Mount Gambier and about south of the town of Robe. It was proclaimed as a conservation park under ...
.
See also
*List of birds of South Australia
South Australia is a state in Australia with 487 species of bird recorded.
This list is based on the 1996 classification by Sibley and Monroe (though there has been a recent (2008) extensive revision of Australian birds by Christidis and Bo ...
References
Important Bird Areas of South Australia Limestone Coast {{SouthAustralia-geo-stub