natural palette of Shark Bay? The chances are that wherever it is that you've thought of, it's a. Key Biodiversity Area
Key Biodiversity Areas within 100km of
ADELAIDE Visitor Guide Close your eyes and think of the most wonderful places you’ve seen in Australia. A coral cay in the Great Barrier Reef? The raw and rugged beauty of Cradle Mountain? The Ubirr escarpment casting a long shadow over the floodplains of Kakadu at sunrise? The vivid natural palette of Shark Bay? The chances are that wherever it is that you’ve thought of, it’s a Key Biodiversity Area (KBA). KBAs are those wonderful natural places with irreplaceable values that make them special. But they’re not just special to us—they’re also special to a whole host of birds and other wildlife. And they’re not all in such far-flung places. In fact, they’re closer than you think— there are plenty of these unique places right on Adelaide’s doorstep. When it comes to wildlife-watching, a bustling city like Adelaide isn’t necessarily the first place you’d think of, but there are plenty of places within an hour’s drive of the city that are internationally important sites where precious wildlife awaits. Right on Adelaide’s doorstep, the shores of Gulf St Vincent are included in the Gulf St
Vincent KBA, an important site for a variety of coastal birds. It is renowned for its importance to many migratory shorebirds, including Rednecked Stints and Sharp-tailed Sandpipers, both of which fly there all the way from the wilds of the Siberian tundra. Flocks of these birds are easy to see as they forage on exposed mudflats or roost on the beach or in the nearby saltmarsh. It was proclaimed as a national park to preserve them and their habitats. It’s also a haven for resident shorebirds, like Pied and Sooty Oystercatchers and Red-capped Plovers, and marine birds such as Black-faced Cormorants and Fairy Terns. In places along the shore where there are reedbeds, it’s also where you may hear an Australasian Bittern booming in the evening. A little further afield is the Lakes Alexandrina and adjacent to The Coorong lies the Albert KBA. It’s a magnet for waterbirds where you’ll find Australian Shelducks with their striking plumage, and grazing Cape Barren Geese, as well as bitterns and various different species of migratory shorebirds. And if you’re really lucky, you might even see an Orange-bellied Parrot lurking in the saltmarsh. Adelaide’s KBAs offer so many opportunities for everyone to experience the wonders of nature.
Bird Photos: Red-necked Stint; Sharp-tailed sandpiper; Sooty Oystercatcher; Red-capped Plover; Fairy Tern; Australasian Bittern; Cape Barren Goose (Andrew Silcocks)
Photo: Gulf St Vincent by Chris Purnell
Photo: Sharp-tailed Sandpiper by Andrew Silcocks
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KEY BIODIVERSITY AREAS
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KEY BIODIVERSITY AREAS WITHIN 100KM OF ADELAIDE Coorong
Lakes Alexandrina & Albert
Troubridge Island
Gulf St Vincent
NATURE’S HOTSPOTS
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Kangaroo Island
For more information contact BirdLife Australia
[email protected] birdlife.org.au
AUSTRALIA
