Road Salt Pond, also known as Road Bay Pond or simply Road Pond, is a wetland in Anguilla, a

British Overseas Territory The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen dependent territory, territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remna ...

in the Caribbean Sea. It is one of the territory's

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 Int ...

s (IBAs).

Description

Road Salt Pond is a circular, 43 ha lagoon. It is the largest enclosed body of water on the island. It lies in the Sandy Ground district near the north-west coast of the main island. The dunes separating it from the sea at Road Bay on its western side have been flattened and built upon. It is bordered on the north and south by low hills supporting low dry forest and scrub as well as residential housing.

Birds

The IBA was identified as such by

BirdLife 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 ...

because it is a breeding site for least terns (with up to 123 birds recorded), as well as supporting populations of

Caribbean elaenia The Caribbean elaenia (''Elaenia martinica'') is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae found in the West Indies and parts of Central America. Its natural habitats are tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest, subtropical or tropical moi ...

s, pearly-eyed thrashers and

Lesser Antillean bullfinch The lesser Antillean bullfinch (''Loxigilla noctis'') is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is found in Saint Barth, Saint Martin, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Montserrat, Netherland ...

es.

History

The pond has a long history of being used to produce salt, and the remains of saltworks infrastructure are visible around its edge. More recently, parts of the pond have been reclaimed for road construction and parking space.

References

Important Bird Areas of Anguilla Wetlands of Anguilla Seabird colonies Lagoons of Anguilla {{Anguilla-geo-stub