Seagull Lake

For the lake in Minnesota, see Sea Gull Lake.
Seagull Lake

Red-capped plovers are found at the lake
Seagull Lake
Location in South Australia
Location Eyre Peninsula, South Australia
Coordinates 32°57′34″S 134°12′50″E / 32.95944°S 134.21389°E / -32.95944; 134.21389Coordinates: 32°57′34″S 134°12′50″E / 32.95944°S 134.21389°E / -32.95944; 134.21389
Type Salt lake
Basin countries Australia
Surface area 88 hectares (220 acres)

The Seagull Lake is sub-coastal saline lake fed by a marine spring located near Sceale Bay on the western side of the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. It lies about 20 kilometres (12 mi) south of Streaky Bay and 280 kilometres (170 mi) north of Port Lincoln.

Description

The 88-hectare (220-acre) sub-coastal lake was reported in 2010 as being "dominated by Zostera and Ruppia marine seagrasses".[1] There are grassed sand-dunes on the west between the lake and the bay. On the east the lake is bordered by about a kilometre of whipstick mallee and paperbarks, before a series of ephemeral saline wetlands. The surrounds retain much native vegetation, especially samphire and halophytic shrubland. The threatened Beaded Samphire and West Coast Mintbush are found at the lake. Although some parts are permanently wet, much of the lake bed dries up during droughts.[2]

Protected area status

Statutory

Seagull Lake is within the boundaries of the Sceale Bay Conservation Park.[3][2]

Non-statutory arrangements

Seagull Lake is within the boundaries of an Important Bird Area (IBA) known as the Seagull Lake Important Bird Area. The IBA was identified by BirdLife International because it regularly supports a breeding colony of fairy terns. Potential threats to the colony are from disturbance by people, vehicles and dogs, water abstraction in the catchment, and fox predation.[4] Other birds recorded using the lake are banded stilts, red-necked avocets, red-necked stints, red-capped plovers, sharp-tailed sandpipers and hooded plovers.[2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Letch, David (2010). Chain of Bays: Preserving the West Coast of South Australia (PDF). Friends of Sceale Bay. p. 41. ISBN 978-0-646-53020-8. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 "Important Bird Areas factsheet: Seagull Lake (Eyre Peninsula)". BirdLife International. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  3. ↑ "Parks of the Far West" (PDF). Department for Environment and Heritage. November 2007. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  4. ↑ "IBA: Seagull Lake (Eyre Peninsula)". Birdata. Birds Australia. Retrieved 2011-10-05.


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