| IBA |
South Groswater Bay Coastline
Rigolet, Labrador |
| Site Summary |
| LB013 |
Latitude
Longitude |
54.199° N
57.632° W |
Elevation
Size |
0 - 50 m
470.17 km² |
Habitats:
mud or sand flats (saline), coastal cliffs/rocky shores (marine)
|
Land Use:
Not Utilized (Natural Area)
|
Potential or ongoing Threats:
Oil slicks
|
| IBA Criteria: Continentally Significant: Congregatory Species |
| Conservation status: IBA Conservation Plan written/being written |
|
Site Description
Groswater Bay is located at the entrance of Hamilton Inlet in southcentral Labrador. The stretch of coastline that is the subject of this site account is located on the south side of the bay, and extends about 30 km from Tinker Harbour in the west to the South Duck and Tub Islands in the east. The coastline along this stretch consists of low-lying, relatively flat terrain, with boulder-ridden mudflats that are exposed at low tide. Numerous coves and shallow bays occur along the coastline and numerous islands are located within five km of the shore. The entire area is mostly ice-covered from December through to early June. The town of Rigolet is located approximately 20km to the west.
|
Birds
The south Groswater Bay coastline supports significant concentrations of nesting, moulting and staging waterfowl. At least 1,000 nesting pairs of Common Eiders nest on the islands along this stretch of coastline. Groswater Bay is within the region where the northern Common Eider (ssp. borealis) overlaps with the Atlantic Common Eider (ssp. dresseri). It is thought that the majority of the eiders nesting along the south Groswater Bay coastline are of the dresseri subspecies. This nesting colony would represent about 1.25% of the estimated breeding population for this subspecies. In addition to the nesting Common Eiders, large numbers of scoters also utilize the area. A noteworthy record of over 1,500 Black Scoters was observed during September 1980, which would represent about 1% of the estimated eastern North American population. The coastline also appears to be used by pre-moulting scoters with as many as 519 Surf Scoters being recorded in June of 1980. It is not known whether the concentration of scoters is an annual event in this area. During surveys completed in August 1998, no moulting scoters were recorded at this site, but large numbers were recorded at the Backway about 30 km to the southwest
|
|
IBA Criteria |
| Species↓ T | A | I |
Links |
Date |
Season |
Number |
G |
C |
N |
|
Note: species shown in bold indicate that the maximum number exceeds at least one of the IBA thresholds (sub-regional, regional or global). The site may still not qualify for that level of IBA if the maximum number reflects an exceptional or historical occurrence.
|
|
| |
Conservation Issues
The Hamilton Inlet area experiences relatively heavy shipping traffic which passes through Groswater Bay in order to reach the community of Goose Bay. As such, there is potential for oil spills, both small illegal discharges, and large accidental spills.
|
|
