Heron Island is a

coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and se ...

cay located near the

Tropic of Capricorn The Tropic of Capricorn (or the Southern Tropic) is the circle of latitude that contains the subsolar point at the December (or southern) solstice. It is thus the southernmost latitude where the Sun can be seen directly overhead. It also reac ...

in the southern

Great Barrier Reef The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over over an area of approximately . The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, A ...

, north-east of Gladstone,

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

, and north-north-west of the state capital

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

. The island is situated on the

leeward Windward () and leeward () are terms used to describe the direction of the wind. Windward is ''upwind'' from the point of reference, i.e. towards the direction from which the wind is coming; leeward is ''downwind'' from the point of reference ...

(western) side of Heron Reef, a fringing platform reef of significant

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic ('' genetic variability''), species ('' species diversity''), and ecosystem ('' ecosystem diversity'') ...

, supporting around 900 of the 1,500 fish species and 72% of the coral species found on the Great Barrier Reef.University of Queensland Centre for Marine Studies
Island Research Station
Retrieved 2006-JUL-14. During the summer months Heron Island is also home to over 200,000 birds including Noddy Terns and Mutton Birds. The island is about long and at its widest, giving an area of approximately . The highest point, near the western tip, is

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance ( height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as '' orthometric heights''. Th ...

. A

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, f ...

ridge along the southern shore rises some above sea level, lower dunes on the north-eastern side are only about above the sea. Heron Island and an extrapolated version of the research station are the scene of much of the first part of

Arthur C. Clarke Sir Arthur Charles Clarke (16 December 191719 March 2008) was an English science-fiction writer, science writer, futurist, inventor, undersea explorer, and television series host. He co-wrote the screenplay for the 1968 film '' 2001: A Space ...

's ''

The Deep Range ''The Deep Range'' is a 1957 science fiction novel by British writer Arthur C. Clarke, concerning a future sub-mariner who works in the field of mariculture, herding whales. The story includes the capture of a sea monster similar to a kra ...

''.

History

Heron Island, Australia - Harbour and HIRS from helicopter

There is no evidence of

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

presence or activity on Heron Island; it is over from the Australian mainland. The island was discovered on 12 January 1843 by a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

expedition comprising the

corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the slo ...

and the cutter ''Bramble''. The expedition, commanded by Captain Francis Blackwood, was engaged in surveying the eastern edge of the Great Barrier Reef to map out detailed plans for safe passages within the reef.
Naval Historical Society of Australia The island was named by Lieutenant#Lieutenant, Lieutenant

Charles Bampfield Yule Captain Charles Bampfield Yule, R.N. (1806 – 1 November 1878 at Anderton, Cornwall, United Kingdom) was an explorer and author of the Admiralty ''Australia Directory.'' The third son of Commander John Yule RN who served with Nelson at Traf ...

, the commander of ''Bramble''. The island did not become inhabited until the early 20th century when a turtle

cannery Canning is a method of food preservation in which food is processed and sealed in an airtight container (jars like Mason jars, and steel and tin cans). Canning provides a shelf life that typically ranges from one to five years, although ...

was established. The aim was to profit from the seasonal influx of

green turtle The green sea turtle (''Chelonia mydas''), also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle or Pacific green turtle, is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Chelonia''. Its range exten ...

s, but the venture soon found it difficult to keep the business afloat. Other attempts at establishing

fisheries Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life; or more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place ( a.k.a. fishing ground). Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish farms, ...

were abandoned. In 1932 Captain Christian Poulsen, engaged in bringing fishing parties to the reef, realised the potential of the island as a tourist attraction. In 1936 he bought the lease of the island for £290. On 11 September 1943, the entire island was declared a

National Park A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual ...

Land use

Heron Island Resort

Heron Island Resort, operated by The Aldesta Group, is located in the north-west corner of the island. The resort is a popular getaway for

scuba diving Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for " Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chr ...

and

snorkelling Snorkeling ( British and Commonwealth English spelling: snorkelling) is the practice of swimming on or through a body of water while equipped with a diving mask, a shaped breathing tube called a snorkel, and usually swimfins. In cooler waters, ...

and accommodates up to 300 guests and 100 staff members. In March 2012 Heron Island Resort was featured in the BBC's nature TV series, ''Great Barrier Reef''.

Heron Island Research Station

The

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

Heron Island Research Station Heron Island Research Station is a marine research station located on Heron Island, an island within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, 80 km from Gladstone, off the coast of Queensland, Australia. It is located at the leeward end of a co ...

is situated in the island's south-west quarter. Established in the 1950s by the Great Barrier Reef Committee with the University of Queensland becoming a partner in its operations in 1970, the facility is one of the world's principal

coral reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of Colony (biology), colonies of coral polyp (zoology), polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, wh ...

research stations, with a wide variety of research undertaken on coral reef ecology. Heron Island Research Station suffered a large fire on Friday, 30 March 2007. No one was injured. In June 2008 the new student accommodation, comprising 80 beds, was officially opened and used for the first time by Tropical Marine Network student

The teaching laboratories and new research building with 9 research labs, library,

darkroom A darkroom is used to process photographic film, to make prints and to carry out other associated tasks. It is a room that can be made completely dark to allow the processing of the light-sensitive photographic materials, including film and ph ...

, computer room and aquaria deck were officially reopened in February 200

In 2010, a state of the art climate change experimental facility was opened at the Research Station. David Attenborough, Sir David Attenborough and Atlantic Productions filmed segments for the documentary, ''David Attenborough's Great Barrier Reef'', at Heron Island Research Station in late 2014.

National Park

The eastern half of the island is protected and forms part of the Capricornia Cays National Park, with a permanent ranger's station onsite.

Harbour

There is a small man-made channel and wooden jetty on the western shore of the island, where the daily

catamaran A Formula 16 beachable catamaran Powered catamaran passenger ferry at Salem, Massachusetts, United States A catamaran () (informally, a "cat") is a multi-hulled watercraft featuring two parallel hulls of equal size. It is a geometry-sta ...

launch from Gladstone docks and supplies to the island are delivered. The rusted wreck of HMCS ''Protector'' lies at the entrance to the channel, and was towed to there in 1945 to form a breakwater for visiting vessels.

Utilities

The island has no

fresh water Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does incl ...

supply. A small

desalination Desalination is a process that takes away mineral components from saline water. More generally, desalination refers to the removal of salts and minerals from a target substance, as in soil desalination, which is an issue for agriculture. Salt ...

plant on the island uses

reverse osmosis Reverse osmosis (RO) is a water purification process that uses a partially permeable membrane to separate ions, unwanted molecules and larger particles from drinking water. In reverse osmosis, an applied pressure is used to overcome osmotic ...

technology to supply water for human consumption. Similarly, three diesel generators (and some

solar panel A solar cell panel, solar electric panel, photo-voltaic (PV) module, PV panel or solar panel is an assembly of photovoltaic solar cells mounted in a (usually rectangular) frame, and a neatly organised collection of PV panels is called a photo ...

s) supply electricity to the island.

Ecology

Heron Island has notably rich

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquids, and organisms that together support life. Some scientific definitions distinguish ''dirt'' from ''soil'' by restricting the former ...

for a tropical coral cay, particularly in the dense southern forest. This is due to the presence of tens of thousands of

wedge-tailed shearwater The wedge-tailed shearwater (''Ardenna pacifica'') is a medium-large shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae. It is one of the shearwater species that is sometimes referred to as a muttonbird, like the sooty shearwater of New Zealand and ...

s (''Ardenna pacifica'') during breeding season. These birds disturb the

humus In classical soil science, humus is the dark organic matter in soil that is formed by the decomposition of plant and animal matter. It is a kind of soil organic matter. It is rich in nutrients and retains moisture in the soil. Humus is the Lati ...

as they dig their nesting burrows, and thus prevent the formation of Jemo soil, a

phosphatic In chemistry, a phosphate is an anion, salt, functional group or ester derived from a phosphoric acid. It most commonly means orthophosphate, a derivative of orthophosphoric acid . The phosphate or orthophosphate ion is derived from phospho ...

hardpan In soil science, agriculture and gardening, hardpan or soil pan is a dense layer of soil, usually found below the uppermost topsoil layer. There are different types of hardpan, all sharing the general characteristic of being a distinct soil layer ...

topped off by raw humus. The hardpan is formed by leaching of surface- or tree-nesting seabirds'

guano Guano (Spanish from qu, wanu) is the accumulated excrement of seabirds or bats. As a manure, guano is a highly effective fertilizer due to the high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, all key nutrients essential for plant growth. G ...

in the absence of burrowing animals.

Flora

Rich forests of ''

Pisonia grandis ''Pisonia grandis'', the grand devil's-claws, is a species of flowering tree in the ''Bougainvillea'' family, Nyctaginaceae. Description The tree has broad, thin leaves, smooth bark and bears clusters of green sweet-smelling flowers that matu ...

'' dominate the centre and south of Heron Island. Towards the eastern and north-western ends, the forest is readily accessible, but its heart is a dense tangle, interrupted only by a few trails. Some trees in the heart of the forest grow to 10–11 m, but most are just 6–8 m high. The

understory In forestry and ecology, understory (American English), or understorey (Commonwealth English), also known as underbrush or undergrowth, includes plant life growing beneath the forest canopy without penetrating it to any great extent, but abo ...

is largely absent here, formed only by scattered ''

Celtis paniculata ''Celtis paniculata'', commonly known as tripewood, silky keltis, silky celtis, native hackberry, native celtis, Investigator tree or whitewood, is a rainforest tree native to parts of Malesia, Melanesia and Australia. Description The tree gro ...

'', ''

Ficus opposita ''Ficus opposita'' is one of several fig species commonly known as sandpaper fig The sandpaper figs are so named for their leaves, which are rough and sandpaper-like in texture. The common name may refer to a number of species in the genus ''Fic ...

'' and ''

Pipturus argenteus ''Pipturus argenteus'', known as false stinger, native mulberry, white mulberry, white nettle, amahatyan ( Chamorro), and ghasooso ( Carolinian), is a small tree native to Malesia, Papuasia, northern and eastern Australia, Micronesia, Melanesia ...

'' with a height of 2–4 m; some ''Celtis'' also grow higher and emerge through the ''Pisonia''

canopy Canopy may refer to: Plants * Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests) * Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes Religion and ceremonies * Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an ...

. Patches of

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from tree ...

s – mainly ''

Abutilon albescens ''Abutilon'' is a large genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is distributed throughout the tropics and subtropics Melanthera biflora ''Melanthera biflora'' (sin. ''Wollastonia biflora'') also known as sea daisy, beach daisy and sea ox-eye, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is a scandent, rough-looking and fast-growing plant with a wide distribution. ...

'' (probably var. ''canescens''), and the introduced wild poinsettia (''

Euphorbia cyathophora ''Euphorbia cyathophora'', known by various names including dwarf poinsettia, fire-on-the-mountain, and paintedleaf, is native to North and South America and naturalized Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which ...

'') – are found here and there.

Herbaceous plant Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition ...

s are scarce here, mainly consisting of the grass ''

Stenotaphrum micranthum ''Stenotaphrum'' is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family. The name is derived from the Greek words στενός (''stenos''), meaning "narrow", and τάϕρος (''taphros''), meaning "trench." It refers to cavities in the raceme axi ...

''. The more open forest is composed of much the same plants, but the ''Pisonia'' does not predominate as much. A few ''

Pandanus tectorius ''Pandanus tectorius'' is a species of ''Pandanus'' (screwpine) that is native to Malesia, Papuasia, eastern Australia, and the Pacific Islands. It grows in the coastal lowlands typically near the edge of the ocean. Common names in English incl ...

screwpine ''Pandanus'' is a genus of monocots with some 750 accepted species. They are palm-like, dioecious trees and shrubs native to the Old World tropics and subtropics. The greatest number of species are found in Madagascar and Malaysia. Common names ...

s are also found here, and the understory is far more prominent. North of the ''Pisonia'' forest, a band of open shrubland with some trees extends from the resort to the island's eastern tip. Octopus bush ('' Heliotropium foertherianum'') and sea cabbage ('' Scaevola taccada'') form the major bush cover, while ''Abutilon'' and ''Melanthera'' are the characteristic ground plants. The trees here are mainly ''Pandanus'', but also ''Celtis'', the

she-oak The Casuarinaceae are a family of dicotyledonous flowering plants placed in the order Fagales, consisting of four genera and 91 species of trees and shrubs native to eastern Africa, Australia, Southeast Asia, Malesia, Papuasia, and the ...

''Casuarina equisetifolia'' ssp. ''incana'', ''Ficus'', bay cedar (''

Suriana maritima ''Suriana'' is a monotypic genus of flowering plants containing only ''Suriana maritima'', which is commonly known as bay cedar. Distribution It has a pantropical distribution and can be found on coasts in the New and Old World tropics. Desc ...

''). Herbs—mainly the

parasitic Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson ha ...

vine A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themsel ...

Cassytha filiformis ''Cassytha filiformis'' or love-vine is an orangish, wiry, parasitic vine in the laurel family (Lauraceae), found in warm tropical regions worldwide in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Pacific. It is an obligate parasite, meaning it ...

'' as well as ''Euphorbia tannensis'' ssp. ''eremophila'' and grasses (mainly Pacific island thintail, ''

Lepturus repens ''Lepturus'' (common name thintail) is a genus of plants in the grass family, native to Asia, Africa, Australia, and various islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. ; Species * '' Lepturus anadabolavensis'' A.Camus - Madagascar * '' Lepturus a ...

'' var. ''subulatus'') are abundant. The eastern end is marked by a similar

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

, with mainly ''Casuarina, Scaevola'' and ''Heliotropium''. This type of vegetation, with some ''Pandanus'' in between, extends along the southern and northern dune ridges. On the dune slopes, ''

Boerhavia repens ''Boerhavia'' is a genus of over 100 species in the Nyctaginaceae family. The genus was named for Herman Boerhaave, a Dutch botanist, and the genus name is frequently misspelled "''Boerhaavia''". Common names include spiderlings and hogweeds. T ...

'', ''Commicarpus chinensis'' var. ''chinensis'' (or '' Commicarpus australis''?), the searocket '' Cakile edentula'', yet another ''

Euphorbia ''Euphorbia'' is a very large and diverse genus of flowering plants, commonly called spurge, in the family Euphorbiaceae. "Euphorbia" is sometimes used in ordinary English to collectively refer to all members of Euphorbiaceae (in deference to t ...

'' (probably '' Euphorbia sparrmanii''), and kuroiwa grass (''

Thuarea involuta ''Thuarea'' is a genus of plants in the grass family, native to Asia, Africa, Australia, and various islands of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Cordia subcordata, seeds, flower, leaves

Cordia subcordata, seeds, flower, leaves

East of the resort in the north-western part of Heron Island there is another type of forest, more open than the central wood. The main tree here is the manjack ''

Cordia subcordata ''Cordia subcordata'' is a species of flowering tree in the borage family, Boraginaceae, that occurs in eastern Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, northern Australia and the Pacific Islands (including Hawaii). The plant is known by a variety ...

'' of which few are found elsewhere on Heron Island; ''Pisonia'' trees are present but not dominant. The ''Abutilon''–''Euphorbia cyathophora''–''Melanthera'' scrub grows thick here. ''Scaevola'' and ''Heliotropium'' as well as patches of the dropseed grass ''

Sporobolus virginicus ''Sporobolus virginicus'', known by numerous common names including seashore dropseed, marine couch, sand couch, salt couch grass, saltwater couch, coastal rat-tail grass, and nioaka, is a species of grass with a wide distribution. Description ...

'' occur at this forest's edge. The

sea turtle Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerhe ...

nesting area is further east, making up the central part of the northern shoreside. The animals' burrowing has prevented a proper forest from forming. Consequently, though the usual tree species are found in isolated individuals, the sand is overgrown with herbs and small shrubs, mainly ''Cakile'', ''Cassytha'', ''Euphorbia eremophila'', ''Lepturus'' and ''Melanthera''. Around the western end there is an abundance of plants introduced by the research and resort activity, some deliberately as

ornamentals Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...

, others accidentally. Notable are ''Euphorbia cyathophora'' and '' Pseudognaphalium luteoalbum'', as well as

papaya The papaya (, ), papaw, () or pawpaw () is the plant species ''Carica papaya'', one of the 21 accepted species in the genus '' Carica'' of the family Caricaceae. It was first domesticated in Mesoamerica, within modern-day southern Mexico and ...

(''Carica papaya''),

coconut palm The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or t ...

(''Cocos nucifera''), oleander (''

Nerium ''Nerium oleander'' ( ), most commonly known as oleander or nerium, is a shrub or small tree cultivated worldwide in temperate and subtropical areas as an ornamental and landscaping plant. It is the only species currently classified in the ge ...

oleander'') and temple tree (''

Plumeria rubra ''Plumeria rubra'' is a deciduous plant species belonging to the genus ''Plumeria''."Botanica. The Illustrated AZ of over 10000 garden plants and how to cultivate them", p. 691. Könemann, 2004. Originally native to Mexico, Central America, Co ...

'') which have been planted.

Fauna

Heron Island, Australia - Black Noddys in a tree

Heron Island is part of the Capricornia Cays

Important 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 Inte ...

. The island's forest and surrounding dunes provide habitat for thousands of nesting

seabird Seabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same envir ...

s, including the

(Ardenna pacifica) and the south-western

black noddy The black noddy or white-capped noddy (''Anous minutus'') is a seabird from the family Laridae. It is a medium-sized species of tern with black plumage and a white cap. It closely resembles the lesser noddy (''Anous tenuirostris'') with which i ...

(''Anous minutus minutus''), during the breeding season between October and April. Over 120,000 white-capped noddies nest on the island during this period. All-year resident and breeding on Heron Island are: *

Silver gull The silver gull (''Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae'') is the most common gull of Australia. It has been found throughout the continent, but particularly at or near coastal areas. It is smaller than the Pacific gull (''Larus pacificus''), which ...

(''Larus novaehollandiae forsteri'') * Eastern reef egret (''Egretta s. sacra'') *

Buff-banded rail The buff-banded rail (''Hypotaenidia philippensis'') is a distinctively coloured, highly dispersive, medium-sized rail of the rail family, Rallidae. This species comprises several subspecies found throughout much of Australasia and the south-we ...

(''Gallirallus philippensis mellori'') *

Bar-shouldered dove The bar-shouldered dove (''Geopelia humeralis'') is a species of long tailed dove native to Australia and Southern New Guinea. It is protected under the ''National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974''. It is a medium-sized pigeon varying in size fro ...

(''Geopelia h. humeralis'') *

Sacred kingfisher The sacred kingfisher (''Todiramphus sanctus'') is a medium-sized woodland kingfisher that occurs in mangroves, woodlands, forests and river valleys in Australia, New Zealand and other parts of the western Pacific. Taxonomy The binomial name ''H ...

(''Todiramphus s. sanctus'') * Black-faced cuckooshrike (''Coracina n. novaehollandiae'') *

Capricorn silvereye The Capricorn silvereye (''Zosterops lateralis chlorocephalus''), also known as the Capricorn white-eye or green-headed white-eye, is a small greenish bird in the Zosteropidae or white-eye family. It is a subspecies of the silvereye that occu ...

(''Zosterops lateralis chlorocephalus'') Heron Island, Australia - Eastern Reef Egret

Though other

heron The herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 72 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genera ''Botaurus'' and ''Ixobrychu ...

s may occasionally visit the island, the only member of the Ardeidae which is a breeding resident is the eastern reef egret. And even though the terms "heron" and "egret" are not scientific, the former is generally used to denote the large '' Ardea'' whereas the smaller '' Egretta''

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...

are usually called "egrets". Insofar, the only "true" heron that could ever be found on Heron Island is the

white-necked heron The white-necked heron or Pacific heron (''Ardea pacifica'') is a species of heron that is found on most of the Australian continent wherever freshwater habitats exist. It is also found in parts of Indonesia, New Guinea and New Zealand, but is u ...

(''Ardea pacifica''), which is only seen every now and then as a rare vagrant. Since 2003, a pair of

white-bellied sea eagle The white-bellied sea eagle (''Haliaeetus leucogaster''), also known as the white-breasted sea eagle, is a large diurnal bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Originally described by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in 1788, it is closely related t ...

s (''Haliaeetus leucogaster'') have nested on Heron Island. However, in June 2019 the tree their nest sat in fell down killing the female. As of October 2019 the male has been seen with another adult but no nest has been built. Baby Chelonia mydas 20060319

At least one species of rat, probably the widespread

polynesian rat The Polynesian rat, Pacific rat or little rat (''Rattus exulans''), known to the Māori as ''kiore'', is the third most widespread species of rat in the world behind the brown rat and black rat. The Polynesian rat originated in Southeast Asia, a ...

(''Rattus exulans''), is found on the island. Though even these small rats are known to harm island birds, this is insignificant on islands so close to a continent; while the rats probably feed on eggs and

nestling Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweight s ...

s, they do not threaten the breeding bird populations as a whole. Heron Island is also a major nesting site for

green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combin ...

(''Chelonia mydas'') and Indopacific

loggerhead sea turtle The loggerhead sea turtle (''Caretta caretta'') is a species of oceanic turtle distributed throughout the world. It is a marine reptile, belonging to the family Cheloniidae. The average loggerhead measures around in carapace length when fully ...

s (''Caretta caretta gigas''). Around 98% of all turtles that nest on the island are green turtles, and only 2% of them will be loggerheads. The Indopacific

hawksbill sea turtle The hawksbill sea turtle (''Eretmochelys imbricata'') is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Eretmochelys''. The species has a global distribution, that is large ...

(''Eretmochelys imbricata bissa'') has been seen on the reef but does not breed on the island. Other

marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military ...

life includes the inhabitants of the coral reef, and around early October,

cetacea Cetacea (; , ) is an infraorder of aquatic mammals that includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Key characteristics are their fully aquatic lifestyle, streamlined body shape, often large size and exclusively carnivorous diet. They propel th ...

ns (e.g.

humpback whale The humpback whale (''Megaptera novaeangliae'') is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the only species in the genus ''Megaptera''. Adults range in length from and weigh up to . The hu ...

s, ''Megaptera novaeangliae'') pass Heron Island on their migration to their summer quarters in

subantarctic The sub-Antarctic zone is a region in the Southern Hemisphere, located immediately north of the Antarctic region. This translates roughly to a latitude of between 46° and 60° south of the Equator. The subantarctic region includes many islands ...

waters. , a project called "The Turtle Cooling Project" is being undertaken by scientists from the

World Wildlife Fund The World Wide Fund for Nature Inc. (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the W ...

Australia,

Deakin University Deakin University is a public university in Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1974, the university was named after Alfred Deakin, the second Prime Minister of Australia. Its main campuses are in Melbourne's Burwood suburb, Geelong Waurn Ponds, ...

and the Queensland Government. It is looking at the effect of

global warming In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...

on northern green turtle breeding, in particular the effect of producing more male turtles owing to the higher temperatures. They are working in the area around

Raine Island Raine Island is a vegetated coral cay in total area situated on the outer edges of the Great Barrier Reef off north-eastern Australia. It lies approximately north-northwest of Cairns in Queensland, about east-north-east of Cape Grenville on t ...

, Heron Island and Moulter Cay. A notable and much-studied

invertebrate Invertebrates are a paraphyletic group of animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''backbone'' or ''spine''), derived from the notochord. This is a grouping including all animals apart from the chorda ...

of Heron Island is '' Cerithium moniliferum'', a small marine

snail A snail is, in loose terms, a shelled gastropod. The name is most often applied to land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs. However, the common name ''snail'' is also used for most of the members of the molluscan class ...

. These animals will form large groups as the

tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables ...

recedes. Feeding on beach rock at a specific height over the average low tide level, the snails slowly move about in their clusters, preserving the precious moisture that allows them to breathe overwater. Mosquitos and other biting insects are rare on the island. However, diseases such as avian malaria and avian pox, which are carried by biting mosquitoes have been found in low numbers in the island's silvereyes.

Geology

Heron Reef is a lagoonal platform reef. It has developed in a high energy environment with high tidal flows promoting water turnover and unobstructed access to the ocean. The reef dates from the Holocene period but shows evidence of possible development in the Pleistocene period. Core analysis of the reef from 1937, demonstrated a thickness of at least 15m of stacked limestone, with an eastward sloping disconformity.

Society and culture

Known shipwrecks on the reef

''Jane Lockhart'' sank between 11 and 17 December 1868. The vessel was a two-mast

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoo ...

which departed from Sydney with general cargo for Broadsound and ran aground at an uncertain location - originally stated as on Lady Musgrave reef (most unlikely), later news reports claimed a wreck on Heron Island, with some other reports mentioning the wreck on either One Tree Island or Mast Head. The crew took to the boat and safely reached the pilot station at Keppel Island. The vessel was built in 1861 at

Ulladulla, New South Wales Ulladulla is a coastal town in New South Wales, Australia in the City of Shoalhaven local government area. It is on the Princes Highway about south of Sydney, halfway between Batemans Bay to the south and Nowra to the north. Ulladulla has close ...

and registered in Sydney with the Official number of 36858 and a Registered number of 9/1861. From the original reports

One of the boats dispatched to the wreck of the ''Jane Lockhart'', schooner, has returned with the sails and a portion of the running and standing gear. The vessel, it appears, did not strike on Bunker's Group, as reported by Captain Machen, but upon what is known as Heron Island, about ninety miles to the northward of Bunker's Group. When the boat reached the vessel she was settled in a hollow in one of the reefs, the outer formation of the hollow acting as a breakwater against the seas. One side of the vessel was quite visible, and the new
copper sheathing Copper sheathing is the practice of protecting the under-water hull of a ship or boat from the corrosive effects of salt water and biofouling through the use of copper plates affixed to the outside of the hull. It was pioneered and developed b ...
appeared uninjured. Captain Norris, who went down in charge of the boat, unbent the sails, so that the position of the vessel might as much as possible remain unaltered; he left the yards and masts standing.

and 6 months later it was reported as

The ''Rose'', schooner, has returned from the wreck of the ''Jane Lockhart'', on Masthead Reef, whither she went on 15 June Captain Dwyer informs us that the ''Jane Lockhart'' still lies in a very snug position, and he has no doubt but that himself, and Mr Norris, the purchaser of the wreck, will be able, ultimately, to raise the vessel and bring her safely to Rockhampton Nearly the whole of the period that they were at the reef, very heavy weather prevailed, staving operations towards the recovery of the cargo, but luckily the strong SE winds lulled for about three days Captain Dwyer availed himself of the occasion, set to work, rigged up a staging between the masts of the ''Lockhart'', schooner, and by means of a rope and a South Sea Island diver, managed to bring up from eighty to ninety large iron pulley wheels, besides a quantity of machinery and sundries, comprising Ale, porter, liqueur brandy, cutlery, ironmongery, etc Unfortunately the ''Roses'' water ran out, much to the chagrin of the crew, who would have raised a great deal more, only having to run into port for supplies.

Voyager spacecraft

A photo of Heron Island is included on the

Voyager Golden Record The Voyager Golden Records are two phonograph records that were included aboard both Voyager spacecraft launched in 1977. The records contain sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth, and are intended for ...

which was sent past the limits of our

Solar System The Solar System Capitalization of the name varies. The International Astronomical Union, the authoritative body regarding astronomical nomenclature, specifies capitalizing the names of all individual astronomical objects but uses mixed "Solar ...

aboard the

Voyager 1 ''Voyager 1'' is a space probe launched by NASA on September 5, 1977, as part of the Voyager program to study the outer Solar System and interstellar space beyond the Sun's heliosphere. Launched 16 days after its twin '' Voyager 2'', ''V ...

and

Voyager 2 ''Voyager 2'' is a space probe launched by NASA on August 20, 1977, to study the outer planets and interstellar space beyond the Sun's heliosphere. As a part of the Voyager program, it was launched 16 days before its twin, '' Voyager 1'', ...

spacecraft. The photo of Heron Island was selected as one of the examples that portrayed the diversity of life and culture on Earth.

References

External links

{{commons category, Heron Island, Queensland, Heron Island
Heron Island Research Station

EPA/QPWS: Capricornia Cays National Park

''Sydney Morning Herald'', 8 February 2004
Heron Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Shore and Beach, 2006, 74:2 17–18
Islands on the Great Barrier Reef Important Bird Areas of Queensland Underwater diving resorts Seaside resorts in Australia Research stations Central Queensland