Bird Islands Conservation Park is a protected area in eastern Spencer Gulf,

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 ...

. It is located at Warburto Point on

Yorke Peninsula The Yorke Peninsula is a peninsula located northwest and west of Adelaide in South Australia, between Spencer Gulf on the west and Gulf St Vincent on the east. The peninsula is separated from Kangaroo Island to the south by Investigator Str ...

, about south of the town of

Wallaroo Wallaroo is a common name for several species of moderately large macropods, intermediate in size between the kangaroos and the wallabies. The word "wallaroo" is from the Dharug ''walaru'', and not a portmanteau of the words "kangaroo" and "wal ...

. In 1991, land additions were made to the park to include the intertidal zone of both islands. In 1999, a larger, mainland section was added to support mangroves,

samphire Samphire is a name given to a number of succulent salt-tolerant plants ( halophytes) that tend to be associated with water bodies. *Rock samphire, ''Crithmum maritimum'' is a coastal species with white flowers that grows in Ireland, the Uni ...

and coastal fringe vegetation.Mainland Conservation Parks of Yorke Peninsula Management Plan
''Department of Environment & Heritage,'' Government of South Australia (2009). Retrieved 2014-01-16.

Vegetation

The two islands forming Bird Islands Conservation Park are fringed by grey mangrove (''Avicennia marina'' ssp. ''marina'') woodlands and chenopod shrublands. A tall open shrubland of coast daisy-bush ('' Olearia axillaris'') and grasslands of introduced species occur on the sandy, higher ground. The mainland section of the park at Warburto Point is similar but with some sandy beach areas backed by dunes supporting coast daisy-bush and various '' Acacia'' spp. shrublands. Nine native plant species have been recorded in this park.

Wildlife

Australia is party to international agreements regarding the conservation of migratory birds ( Japan-Australia and China-Australia Migratory Bird Agreements) and several of these migrant shorebirds (listed under JAMBA and CAMBA treaties) regularly visit Bird Islands Conservation Park. These are known to include

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 ...

red knot The red knot or just knot (''Calidris canutus'') is a medium-sized shorebird which breeds in tundra and the Arctic Cordillera in the far north of Canada, Europe, and Russia. It is a large member of the '' Calidris'' sandpipers, second only to the ...

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 ...

greater sand plover The greater sand plover (''Charadrius leschenaultii'') is a small wader in the plover family of birds. The spelling is commonly given as "greater sandplover" or "greater sand-plover", but the official British Ornithologists' Union spelling is "Gre ...

grey-tailed tattler The grey-tailed tattler (''Tringa brevipes'', formerly ''Heteroscelus brevipes''Banks, Richard C.; Cicero, Carla; Dunn, Jon L.; Kratter, Andrew W.; Rasmussen, Pamela C.; Remsen, J. V. Jr.; Rising, James D. & Stotz, Douglas F. (2006):Forty-seventh ...

Caspian tern The Caspian tern (''Hydroprogne caspia'') is a species of tern, with a subcosmopolitan but scattered distribution. Despite its extensive range, it is monotypic of its genus, and has no accepted subspecies. The genus name is from Ancient Greek ' ...

and

Terek sandpiper The Terek sandpiper (''Xenus cinereus'') is a small migratory Palearctic wader species and is the only member of the genus ''Xenus''. It is named after the Terek River which flows into the west of the Caspian Sea, as it was first observed arou ...

. Additional birds of conservation significance recorded in the park include:

Cape Barren goose The Cape Barren goose (''Cereopsis novaehollandiae'') is a large goose resident in southern Australia. Etymology The species' common name is derived from Cape Barren Island, where specimens were first sighted by European explorers. It is know ...

lesser sand plover The lesser sand plover (''Charadrius mongolus'') is a small wader in the plover family of birds. The spelling is commonly given as lesser sand-plover, but the official British Ornithologists' Union spelling is "lesser sand plover". The genus ...

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 (''H. finschi'') occurs in New Zealand. ...

rock parrot The rock parrot (''Neophema petrophila'') is a species of grass parrot native to Australia. Described by John Gould in 1841, it is a small parrot long and weighing with predominantly olive-brown upperparts and more yellowish underparts. Its h ...

eastern osprey The eastern osprey (''Pandion haliaetus cristatus'') is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. They live in Oceania at coastal regions of the Australian continent, the Indonesian islands, New Guinea, and the Philippines. It is usually sedentary ...

and

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 ...

Access

The park can be accessed by car along Warburto Road. The islands can be reached by wading out at low tide or by boat at high tide. Limited 4WD access is available via a network of sandy tracks.

Activities

In keeping with the park's conservation zoning, public use is restricted to low-impact activities compatible with the protection of natural and cultural values. Walking, interpretation and education, scientific research and nature appreciation are permitted using existing tracks and trails within the zone. Kayaking is also possible around Bird Islands. Beach fishing is permitted in the waters off Bird Island Conservation Park, provided it is not occurring within a Marine Park Sanctuary Zone.

Threats

The Government of South Australia's Department of the Environment, Water and Natural Resources has suggested 4WD use should be monitored, as environmental damage can result from driving vehicles on the beach. As the Copper Coast District Council area's human population increases, the impacts from 4WD and other visitor impacts will also increase and will require management.

References

External links

Bird Islands Conservation Park webpage on protected planet
{{Islands of South Australia , state=collapsed Conservation parks of South Australia South Australian terrestrial protected areas with a marine zone Islands of South Australia Spencer Gulf