Discovery Bay Coastal Park

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16. Hydrological values:

The Glenelg River Estuary is the only river that discharges into Discovery Bay. The estuary is a modified, wave-dominated estuary (OzEstuaries Database). Smaller streams, such as Johnstones Creek, discharge water into Discovery Bay during periods of high rainfall.

17. Ecological features:

There are three main vegetation types within the Discovery Bay Shorebird Site: coastal dune scrub complexes on sands and limestone headlands, dry and wet heaths and swamps, and mallee and woodland Eucalypt communities.
The invasion of Coastal Tea-tree Leptospernum laevigatum and Coastal Wattle Acacia sophorae over the last 150 years has greatly impacted the vegetation communities. The major environmental weeds in Discovery Bay Shorebird Site can be found in Appendix 3 of the management plan that covers Discovery Bay Coastal Park (Parks Victoria, 2004). There are some areas of pine forests adjacent to the shorebird site. However, the majority of the land adjacent to the site is agricultural land under exotic pasture for grazing.

18. Noteworthy flora:

Discovery Bay Shorebird Site has some 320 native plant species recorded, with 27 of these threatened (Appendix 1) (Parks Victoria 2004).

19. Noteworthy fauna:

There are records of 64 species of threatened fauna in Discovery Bay Shorebird Site (Appendix 2). There are also records of 25 bird species listed under the Japan-Australia Migratory Birds Agreement (JAMBA) and the China-Australia Migratory Birds Agreement (CAMBA) (see below).

Scientific Name	Common Name	JAMBA	CAMBA
Stercorarius parasiticus	Arctic Jaeger	J
Limosa lapponica	Bar-tailed Godwit	J	C
Limicola falcinellus	Broad-billed Sandpiper	J	C
Sterna caspia	Caspian Tern	J	C
Tringa nebularia	Common Greenshank	J	C
Actitis hypoleucos	Common Sandpiper	J	C
Calidris ferruginea	Curlew Sandpiper	J	C
Numenius madagascariensis	Eastern Curlew	J	C
Ardea alba	Great Egret	J	C
Pluvialis squatarola	Grey Plover	J	C
Heteroscelus brevipes	Grey-tailed Tattler	J	C
Gallinago hardwickii	Latham's Snipe	J	C
Sterna albifrons	Little Tern	J	C
Tringa stagnatilis	Marsh Sandpiper	J	C
Charadrius veredus	Oriental Plover	J
Pluvialis fulva	Pacific Golden Plover	J	C
Calidris canutus	Red Knot	J	C
Calidris ruficollis	Red-necked Stint	J	C
Arenaria interpres	Ruddy Turnstone	J	C
Calidris alba	Sanderling	J	C
Calidris acuminata	Sharp-tailed Sandpiper	J	C
Puffinus griseus	Sooty Shearwater	J	C
Diomedea exulans	Wandering Albatross	J
Numenius phaeopus	Whimbrel	J	C
Hirundapus caudacutus	White-throated Needletail	J	C

Discovery Bay Coastal Park is an important breeding area for the endemic Hooded Plover (Thinornis rubricollis) and supports more than 1% of the population (Hewish 1989).

Species	Number regularly supported at Discovery Bay	Minimum population estimate for Australia	1% of minimum population
Hooded Plover	60	5,000	50

Shorebirds that nest on the beach include Hooded Plover Thinornis rubricollis, Little Tern Sterna albifrons, Pied Oystercatcher Haematopus longirostris and Red-capped Plover Charadrius ruficapillus. Sanderling use the whole of the coastal strip but there are concentrations around the Glenelg River mouth. Endemic breeding species such as Hooded Plover and Pied Oystercatcher breed just above the spring high tide and adjacent sand dunes where suitable sites occur.

Significant shorebirds species at the Discovery Bay Shorebird Site include those listed in the following table.